Comparative Perspective on Organized Crime Essay

Comparative Perspective on Organized Crime - Essay Example Our grounds for comparison will be in terms of organizational structure, operations, political significance and their respective cultures since sociologists insist they share a cultural underpinnings. The organized crime which came to be labeled as the mafia, regardless of racial grouping, owes its origin to the Italian mafia. This group was founded in Sicily and is also called the Cosa Nostra. It was established in the eastern part of the United States due to the onslaught of the Italian immigration in 19th century. Simply put, the mafia is a criminal secret society whose sole purpose is profit culled from various illegal activities. What distinguishes the mafia from other organized criminal groups is the cultural dimension to it. (Throsby 2001, p. 6) Mafias are identified by nationality such as the Italian mafia, Russian mafia or the Japanese Yakuza. In the book called, Understanding the Mafia, Joseph Farell (1997, p. 6) explained that mafia’s only aim is the enrichment and empowerment of the individual and â€Å"his family,† hence honor and success are inseparable. Also, another distinction relies on the fact that a characteristic of a mafia is that it performs g overnmental functions such as law enforcement and criminal justice- in spheres where the legal judicial system refuses to exercise power or is unable to do so. 1 The phenomenon of the mafia has actually generated extensive interest on the subject that anthropologists, scholars, historians, psychologists, social and political scientists and even economists are up in arms in interpreting their existence. Naturally, there is an ongoing debate over these organizations’ natures, but the â€Å"mafiologists† seem to agree that â€Å"the mafia is undoubtedly a complex, mysterious, multi-faceted phenomenon.† (Farrel) To the detriment of the Sicilian people, their tradition came to be identified with the Italian Mafia. Its operation within the Sicilian society gave it the precise