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