CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY

Criminological Theory



Criminological Theory

Introduction

Criminology can be defined as the multidisciplinary study of crime (Bartol, 1999, p. 3). As the definition suggests, many disciplines are involved in the collection of knowledge about crime, including psychology, sociology, psychiatry, anthropology, biology, neurology, political science and economics (Bartol, 1999 p. 4). Over the years criminology has been dominated by three disciplines - sociology, psychology and biology. Criminology needs all the help it can get in its struggle to understand, explain and prevent criminal behaviour and an integration of the data, theory and general viewpoints of each discipline is crucial (Bartol, 1999 pg. 4).

Italian Gangs

In the years preceding 1920, America was in a state of disarray. The industrial revolution had finally hit the New World, and in a pursuit of economic and social prosperity, American citizens all over the nation left their small towns for the busy metropolitan life. At the same time, a massive influx of immigrants from Europe arrived in America (Bailey 749). The combination of these two factors contributed to an increase in local crime; dire working conditions and low pay forced the poor and hungry to utilize law-breaking as a way out. However, it wasn't until the slap of the 18th amendment, known as the Volstead Act, which prohibited the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages" ("Constitution"), that America was truly impacted. During this era known as Prohibition, many groups of people began to further evade the law and find other means of attaining alcohol and illegally selling and manufacturing it; consequently, with the advent of the 1920's, Prohibition triggered the immense development of organized crime. More specifically, the lavish profits of alcohol bootlegging caused by Prohibition opened a doorway to many opportunities for Italian-American criminals, such as extended business ventures in gambling and narcotics. Ultimately, the Volstead Act laid the foundations for the American Mafia by instigating an increase in competition, corruption, and consolidation, and transformed La Cosa Nostra, as it later became known, into the business and money-making empire that it flourished into during the next few decades.

In truth, La Cosa Nostra was not created solely through Prohibition. Prior to 1920, the Mafioso ideals were already firmly embedded into the Italian American mentality. During the inundation of Italian immigrants into America at the turn of the century, many of these Italians, mostly Sicilian, spoke little to no English. As a result, the Italian immigrants learned not to trust the foreign American government. Instead, they placed their trust in the Mafioso, or the Black Hand, as they liked to call them, that resided in their own neighborhood, believing them to keep the order and security in their environment. (Capeci 112-114)

In addition to the Black Hand organization, the early Mafia in America turned to other sources of revenue, such as counterfeiting, prostitution, mild gambling. During the early 1900's, counterfeiting was chiefly done by importing American money from Italy. Ignazio Lupo is a notable example, particularly in his 1909 New York trial, where he was accused and later convicted of running ...