Abstract
Italian organized crime groups—namely, Cosa Nostra, the Camorra and the ‘Ndrangheta—have often been identified with the single name “mafia”. However, despite some similarities especially in the business of private protection, Italian mafias present several differences which become asymmetries due to a centralized anti-mafia legislation and a centralized law enforcement and judicial system. They have had a different impact on criminal organizations with different cultures, traditions and power over the territory, as well as different regard by the State and civil society. After a brief outlook on the main features of the three criminal organizations and the changes they have experienced in the last decades, this chapter focuses on the broad spectrum of illegal activities conducted and the business opportunities exploited by each of them in order to highlight the main differences. On the basis of these differences, reactions of the State and the civil society are then examined, pointing out how the same legislation has had a different impact on the existence and the activities of the three Italian mafias.
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Notes
- 1.
In June 2008, the ‘Ndranghet was added to the U.S Treasury Department Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) Foreign Drug Kingpin list (U.S. Department of State 2011).
- 2.
Office of Prosecutors in Naples request for prosecution of 31 March 2010, n. 56053/09.
- 3.
Proceeding n. 59337/09 against Renato Grasso of 12 May 2010.
- 4.
Office of Prosecutors of Reggio Calabria (2008).
- 5.
Tribunal of Reggio Calabria, Office for preliminary investigations (Ufficio del giudice per le indagine preliminary), Proc. N. 1389/2008 R.G.N.R. D.D.A., n. 1172/09 R.G. G.I.P. D.D.A. n. 98/10 R. OCC.
- 6.
Operations Igres (Reggio Calabria, RGNR 4966/2000) and Stupor Mundi (Reggio Calabria, RGNR 4651/2002).
- 7.
There are no data before 1994 because it was not collected at that time.
- 8.
Law n. 45 of 13 February 2001.
- 9.
The author was provided with this information by the Chief Prosecutor in Reggio Calabria Giuseppe Pignatone on 18 May 2011, during his lecture at the Catholic University in Milan.
- 10.
Law n. 44 of 23 February 1999.
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Savona, E.U. (2012). Italian Mafias’ Asymmetries. In: Siegel, D., van de Bunt, H. (eds) Traditional Organized Crime in the Modern World. Studies of Organized Crime, vol 11. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3212-8_1
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