ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the specificity of mafia-type crime, helping to illustrate the necessity of a targeted and sophisticated legislative response. It applies the concept of social capital to highlight the connectivity of the mafias and illustrate the nature of their links with the ‘legal' economy, before moving on to address Italy's legislative response to the mafia's economic infiltration, focusing on two landmark laws: the Rognoni-La Torre Law of 1982 and the ‘Libera' Law of 1996. Finally, the chapter introduces the concept of the ‘circle of legality', outlining some successful case studies and identifying key challenges. In order to understand the specificity of mafia-type organized crime in Italy, it is helpful to briefly examine the history and origins of the mafias, dividing our focus into five key areas: social, political, ideological, institutional, and economic. In order to be effective, efforts to counter mafia-type crime must work across a range of different fronts.
