Organized crime and the Mafia were synonymous 30 years ago, but that is not the case today. Although the Mafia is still very much a central figure in organized crime, many other groups have evolved. These groups all share similar characteristics and use similar tactics. The government has enacted laws to try to thwart these criminals, and has met with some success.
Organized crime did however, come to this country in the form of the Mafia. In 1878 the Italian authorities cracked down on the Mafia on the Island of Sicily. Many of these men fled to the United States. These Italian immigrants set up shop in various cities within the United States. In Italy, the Mafia had offered shopkeepers protection against theft and damage of their merchandise, in return for a share of the profits. They continued this protection racket once on U.S. soil, in the ethnic neighborhoods. (Ryan, 1995).
In the form of the Mafia, organized crime flourished in the United States. After entering the United States, many of these criminals established new crime families throughout the land. As early as 1891 the Mafia was responsible for the killing of the police commissioner in New Orleans. (Ryan, 1995).
One reason for the obvious success of the Mafia is the traditional social system, which is organized by action and cultural values that are not based on corporate or bureaucratic principles. (Abadinsky, 1990) A complex hierarchy is maintained:.
Each family is headed by one man, the "boss," whose primary functions are maintaining order and maximizing profits. Beneath each boss is an "underboss," the vice president or deputy director of the family. He collects information for the boss; relays messages to him; and passes his instructions down to his own underlings. In the absence of the boss, the underboss acts for him. On the same level as the underboss, but operating in a staff capacity, is the consigliere, who is a counselor or advisor.
