Introduction
The American Mafia refers to Italian-American criminal society found in United States which is also known as Cosa Nostra. It is a secret criminal society and the members refer to it as “our thing” while the press society refers to it as the National Crime Syndicate although the name also refers to all other organized crime societies, Mafia included. It has a long history in America since it emerged in the 19th century in New York City immediately after the Sicilian and the Italian immigration. However, the group became very active in the 1920s during the probation years and in 1930s, they consolidated their power. It was firmly established in the mid 20th century, since studies indicate that it was first officially mentioned in the year 1950 (Mallory, 2007). Since there are many organized criminal groups in America, this paper shall narrow down to American Mafia and focus more on its history, structure and organization.
Background Information
American-Italian Mafia is the largest organized criminal group in America although currently there are many street gangs that are coming up. Due to this, it is referred to as the original mafia. As highlighted earlier in this paper, it started to flourish in the city of New York where it started its operations from poor Italian ghettos until it eventually became an international organization. Black Hand which has been mistaken for the mafia was one of the extortion methods used in the Italian neighborhoods in the 19th century. The first mafia member, Giuseppe Esposito was from Sicily and had migrated to America with other six members after they had murdered eleven land owners and Chancellor as well as the Vice-Chancellor of the province of Sicily. However, they were later arrested in a place known as New Orleans. The place became the first cite for a mafia activity in US following the murder of David Hennessey who was a New Orleans police Superintendent. Towards the end of the 19th century, the Sicilian Mafia had developed in to five point’s gang and its main area of operation was Lower East Side though it was always in conflict Jewish Estamans which hailed from the same area (Reppetto, 2004).
Until the year 1920, mafia activities were restricted until they exploded due to introduction of prohibition. During this particular period, Mafia developed until it became an efficient and the most effective criminal organization not only due to growth in numbers, but also due to growth in power. The American politicians and business men greatly helped them to become well-established in the American economic and political system. Each group in each city developed differently as they were formed by different families though they were extensions of Mafia groups from larger cities like the City of New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
The Current American-Italian Mafia
Initially, the American Mafia used to conduct activities such as narcotic trafficking, gambling and extortion to mention just a few (Jenkins, 1992). Currently, Mafia has acquired a variety of legitimate business activities and is involved more in political and government activities. Such developments are important since they ensure its success. Although it is still influenced by its past, the group puts in effort to continuously adapt to new methods of law enforcement. They have many future objectives which are inclusive but not limited to being actively involved in politics and sharing major government appointments, develop a global money laundering operations, manipulate databases to their advantage and forming global alliances (Mallory, 2007).
American Mafia Membership, Organization and Structure
Like many other criminal organizations, membership is based on past criminal activities, ethnicity and family relations. To become a member, some one is selected by other members and has to undergo various tests before becoming fully qualified. The difference between members and outsides is marked by certain behaviors and codes of conduct which are affirmed by different forms and types of oaths taken during the initiation stage and must be followed by all members (Federal Bureau of Investigation, n. d).
The organization and the structure of the American Mafia enhances easier sharing of profits from both illegal and legal activities as well as protecting bosses from the arrest. In most cases, mafia families are composed of bosses, under bosses and counselors who are also known as consigliere. There are also associates whose activities are directed by the made members. The counselor an old member of the family advises the boss and also serves as a link between the administration and the soldiers. Since Mafia is organized into families, each family has its own territory and an exclusive activity it operates in. The commission of the mafia is made up of bosses from five families in the city of New York and others from the city of Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo. The structure of cooperation and a government has allowed the American Mafia to survive in the country for over a century (Mallory, 2007).
Conclusion
Elimination of the American Mafia may represent one of the never won battles in America since as much as many leaders and bosses may be dead or in jail, studies indicate that Mafia activities have persisted this far. However, due to the current investigations and prosecution, mafia activities are not as powerful as they were initially (Reuter, 1995). Although prosecutors and politicians have been doing all in their power to eliminate the illegitimate group, their plans barely succeed since mafia continues to evolve and to become more complex by learning from the mistakes of members and bosses, either dead or in prison. There is therefore no doubt that with such a trend, American-Italian Mafia will not only repeat its past trend, but will continue to survive. Studying and carrying out research on American Mafia is not as easy since it is a secret organization and that is the reason why there is very few data and statistics on the topic.
References
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n. d.). Italian Organized Crime—Overview. Retrieved on 21st August 2010 from: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/orgcrime/lcnindex.htm
Jenkins, P., (1992) Narcotics trafficking and the American mafia: The myth of internal prohibition. Crime, Law and Social Change, 18 (3), 303-318.
Mallory, L. S. (2007).Understanding Organized Crime. Sudbury, Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Reppetto, T., (2004). American Mafia: A History of Its Rise to Power. New York, Henry Holt and Co.
Reuter, P. (1995). The decline of the American Mafia. Retrieved on 21st August 2010 from: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0377/is_n120/ai_17379694
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