Vol. 14 No. 3 (March 2004)
MAFIA
BROTHERHOODS: ORGANIZED CRIME, ITALIAN STYLE, by Letizia Paoli. Oxford University
Press, 2003. 312 pages. Cloth $35.00 £22.50. ISBN: 0-19-515724-9
Reviewed by Caryl Lynn Segal, Department of Criminology and
Criminal Justice, University of Texas at Arlington. Email: csegal@uta.edu
In academia today cross-over courses are quite common, and
this work offers an interdisciplinary look at the two major organized crime
units in Italyã'Ndrangheta and Cosa Nostra. Paoli has written a most impressive
book, albeit one that some readers may fault for its widespread reliance
upon sociological terminology and references.
Letizia Paoli's book should find favor with many political
scientists. She provides information useful to those whose primary interest
is in the legal system, but that is not the main thrust of this work. The
book opens with a comparison between the American mafia associations and
the Italian counterparts. Although the American Cosa Nostra had its roots
in the Sicilian groups and there are many structural similarities, the differences
are quite pointed.
Popular shows such as the Sopranos and
The Godfather present the American mafia as an organization that is different
in many ways from that uncovered by federal investigators and revealed by
Mafia witnesses during American trials. There are some similarities as witnessed
by scenes where citizens turn to the mafia head requesting social services
and other favors. Over the decades, however, the power of mafia organizations
has been, in many ways, based upon the weakness of state structures.
A primary difference between the American and Sicilian mafia
involves geography and demographics. In Sicily the brotherhood literally
controls geographical areas, but the diversity of areas in the United States
has never allowed the same type of total dominion. There are, however, operational
similarities in structure and member autonomy for certain enterprises.
Paoli's references take up 29 pages and include an impressive
number (10 pages) of Judicial Documents, Parliamentary Hearings and Reports,
Other Italian State Agency Reports and the Reports of International and
Foreign Bodies as her primary sources; the remaining secondary sources will
be familiar to political scientists, as well as those in other disciplines.
Social scientists wishing to study the make-up of groups closed
to outsiders are forced to rely upon official documents and descriptions
of the group's workings told by those on the inside. Since infiltration
into these groups is nearly impossible, study of the brotherhood must use
this material also. Paoli's methodology reflects this.
The use of such extensive primary source material has some
negative consequences as well. Paoli fills pages with quotes about mundane
issues but rarely provides broader interpretation to show patterns that
can be applied to other similar organizations. As an example, she does not
answer such questions as why protection can be a desirable service, which
other authors have addressed.
Many reports from the latter part of the 19th century were
discovered in long forgotten archives that have recently been painstakingly
transcribed for scholarly research. Paoli uses this body of material in
establishing the historical formation of the groups. Early information about the workings of the two Sicilian groups
came from informants who testified at the end of the 19th Century. Evidence
of judicial investigation into the workings of the brotherhood is revealed
to have started before the turn of the 20th Century. Few readers probably
realize the large number of informants in both the 19th and 20th century.
Paoli is quick to point out that what pentiti (the
Italian term for those who repent and give testimony) disclose is often
influenced by a number of psychological factors. These pentiti are
considered judicially trustworthy because both the police and the courts
have checked and double-checked their confessions against those provided
by others, while allowing for some statements to be self-serving.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that Chapter One is
extremely complex reading because of the countless number of Italian terms
and unfamiliar locations. The inclusion of a map, indicating spheres of
influence of both the 'Ndeangheta and Cosa Nostra, the two largest and most
influential criminal associations, would have been extremely helpful. The
two groups operate quite differently and exhibit unique coexistence patterns
with government agencies.
Paoli does include maps of Sicily, but they are limited in
detail and do not show the exact areas of operation of each branch of the
brotherhood. It was surprising to discover that there was no glossary at
the front of the book to use as reference for the multitude of Italian terms
and phrases. The four remaining chapters are much easier to follow and provide
a remarkable look at the two organizations, spotlighting both differences
and similarities.
As the tentacles of law enforcement expanded in the wake of
political pressure, Sicilian illegal organizations were forced to take major
steps in limiting information within the membership itself. Even the way
the two groups have viewed omerta (the code of silence) over
the decades is different.
Paoli devotes a good part of Chapter 3 to a discussion of
omerta and
how secrecy requirements have changed over the years. The remainder of the
chapter is devoted to an in-depth discussion of alternative legal order.
The evolution of the form of -bureaucratic” law that exists within these
groups is tied to the changing needs of the group, and there is a good explanation
for the way -legal” orders are utilized by the brotherhood. The author describes,
as an example, how the -rules of primary type” and -rules of secondary type”
put forth by H.L.A. Hart cannot truly be applied to these organizations
since there is no written document of rules, and adjudication has been applied
inconsistently. In some instances the inconsistency has been cited by peniti to
-explain” their decisions to become witnesses.
Chapter 5 will certainly also prove useful to political scientists
and equally so to those whose interest is in the law and the courts. Comprehending
the role played by the brotherhood in Sicily depends to a large extent on
an understanding of the history of the region.
Paoli, meticulously and with clarity, establishes how the
various Italian governments have utilized the brotherhood's organization
and spheres of influence. The brotherhood was seen as a political machine
that could be counted upon to bring out voters and to defeat reformists
who threatened governmental rule. Ties between Mafioso
and politicians continued to the end of the 20th century and quite possible
into the 21st century as well.
Unlike the 'Ndrangheta experience, the relationship between
Cosa Nostra (the southern brotherhood) and politicians has followed a different
path, with bribes and the killing of politicians occurring often. The large
number of murders of judges and others created an anti-mafia movement in
the 1980s which resulted in new laws, some comparable to the RICO statutes
in the United States, multiple prosecutions, and an increasing number of
former members who became witnesses in order to improve their own prison
conditions and sentences. A prison facility had been designed specifically
to house mafia associates.
Evidence exists to support the premise that both organizations
have to a degree changed their operations because of law enforcement activities.
In addition secret undercover agreements with politicians and civil
service employees has provided the brotherhood with the ability to gain
contracts for nearly all public works projects, with mafia owned companies
the recipients of the bids.
Both groups, Paoli informs us, appear to be avoiding international
dealings and have instead turned to involvement in public works to fill
their coffers. Extortion from legal enterprises within their particular
spheres of influence continues unabated. It was enlightening to discover
that the reason these groups have not gotten into the lucrative illegal
arms arena is a combination of a lack of contacts and delivery organization. Never to be overlooked is that power has
always been the primary goal of -men of honor” with profit a slightly less
important factor.
Those whose interests lie in comparative aspects of organizations
and government will find this book most useful. For others, a desire to
understand the Italian brotherhood and an opportunity to correct the many
media-induced misconceptions about the mafia may be its primary usefulness.
REFERENCES:
Hart, H.L.A. 1961. THE CONCEPT
OF LAW. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
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Copyright
2004 by the author, Caryl Lynn Segal