International Journal on Criminology Volume 4, Number 2, Winter 2016 | Page 111

International Journal on Criminology - Winter 2016, Volume 4, Number 2
Mafia: From the Use of Violence to Artificial Scarcity
Clothilde Champeyrache A
Mafia-type organized criminality—whether it appears in Italy, Japan or China—
is traditionally associated with violence. This violence is conspicuous and
often excessive, exerting power over Mafia members and politicians alike,
but also over the civilian population within well-defined geographical areas. The
association of the Mafia with violence is widely proclaimed in the media, the cinema
(with the Godfather trilogy taking pride of place), and sometimes the news, with
settlings of scores in Naples, the murders of judges Falcone and Borsellino, and so
forth. This is often responsible for the idea that violence is the main characteristic of
Mafia methods, leading to the supposition that if Mafia violence is no longer visible,
or at least much less so, is it not a sign of the decline or even disappearance of such
organizations? Nothing could be further from the truth. We have to understand what
violence really signifies for a Mafia organization in order to grasp the essence of
Mafia power and correctly assess its danger for contemporary society.
Violence and the Establishment of Mafia Territorial Sovereignty
Every Mafia has recourse to violence. But violence is not the sum total of all
Mafia methods. The arrival and then the continuation of Mafia associations is based
on a subtle balance of violence and the creation of methods for wielding control over
a territory which go beyond simple violence.
There are many standard situations where the Mafia uses violence in a visible
way, with attacks on both persons and property. The first of these situations corresponds
to the phase when territorial sovereignty is being established by a Mafia organization
that is starting up. This is the initial “military” stage of the Mafia which has yet
to seize hold of a territory and establish a corrupt form of “monopoly of violence”
there. The increase in violence by the criminal organization is then accompanied
by a proliferation of intimidatingly violent acts (destruction of a production tool
for example) or even punitive acts of violence (mutilations to make defiant people
submit, even assassinations of opponents who are likely to create movements of
solidarity to resist the Mafia’s criminal aims). Although highly visible, these violent
episodes are not designed to be long-lived because they attract the attention of the
forces of order and run the risk of government repression.
After this, once the Mafia has gained control of a territory, violence can
reappear sporadically. Generally, this occurs in relation to a questioning—real or
supposed—of this control. Violence is then directed at two targets, depending on
the nature of the challenge. It may concern internal settling of scores if there is
one clan which no longer respects the territorial division formerly in operation or
when a member no longer obeys the association’s rules; the victims in these cases
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