Mafia

Mafia refers to a collection of organized criminal groups that engage in illegal activities and maintain secretive systems of authority and loyalty. The term is most often linked to the Italian-American Mafia, or La Cosa Nostra, which emerged among Italian immigrant communities in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and later spread to other countries.

Typical structure features a hierarchical leadership, including a boss, underboss, and consigliere, with captains and soldiers. Members often take oaths of secrecy and loyalty and use codes of conduct to regulate activities. Common activities include extortion, loan sharking, illegal gambling, racketeering, narcotics trafficking, hijacking, and murder; income is laundered through legitimate businesses.

Historical development: In Sicily, secret confraternities evolved into the organized crime groups. In the United States, the Mafia gained power during Prohibition (1920-1933) by controlling bootlegging and distribution. From the 1950s-1980s, federal law enforcement, notably the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), prosecuted members in high-profile trials, leading to significant incarcerations and organizational restructuring.

Other groups associated with the concept include the Camorra and the 'Ndrangheta in Italy, the Albanian and Turkish criminal organizations, and metaphorically "mafias" in other parts of the world. The term has broadened to describe various organized crime networks that operate globally.

Law enforcement and legal systems have aimed to dismantle Mafia groups through investigations, witness protection, asset seizures, and international cooperation. In popular culture, Mafia organizations have been a persistent subject of literature, film, and television, contributing to public perceptions but also mythologizing aspects of organized crime.