Mafia

affect on Society. Organized crime is any group having some manner of formalized

structure whose primary objective is to obtain money through illegal activities. Through

violent tactics, organized crime is often very affective. The Mafia, more specifically the

Italian-American Mafia is a group of criminals organized into “families”, and operating

primarily in North America. Organized crime is a widespread topic of concern among

many Americans due to its popularity in the media and entertainment industry. The public

is aware of its existence, yet is not fully aware of why and how this complex “underworld”

exists. In order to completely understand this area of criminology, one must take into

account the characteristics of organized crime and the individual motives to commit this

The beginnings of organized crime can be traced back to periods of vast amounts

of immigration within the United States. Many of the immigrants sought wealth and

prosperity upon their arrivals but inevitably found themselves to be members of the lower

class. While some groups, such as the Jews, were able to climb the social ladder, othe

. . .

The motivation an individual may have to be part of organized crime can be

explained by the Differential Association theory. The feeling is encouraged by the example set by those who have escaped

to what appears to be the better way of life made possible by crime. In turn, the immigrants turned to a criminal subculture as means to attain

their goals. Now days there are new Mafioso such as Asian and

Russian. Organized crime is costing society their health, and above all else their

dignity.

Organized crime should be treated as a national security threat on a par with a

strong military threat. Such

conditions lead to feelings of deprivation and hopelessness and then turn to crime for

means of escape.

The weak points of the theory are, it doesn’t specifically answer why everyone in

contact with an excess of criminal behavior patterns doesn’t become criminal and

differential association also fails to tell us how the first criminal became a criminal. The theory states that criminal behavior is

learned behavior. Their movement

toward crime can be explained by Differential Opportunities theory. Differential association is a theory based on the social

environment and its surrounding individuals and the values those individuals gain from

significant others in their social environment. The contents of patterns in association in joining organized crime

would differ from individual to individual. Powerful criminal organizations are controlling many individuals countries due to

illegal activities such as drug trafficking. This says that there

are both legitimate and illegitimate means to achieve desired goals.

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Approximate Word count = 1106
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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