ABSTRACT
A feature that differentiates organized criminal groups from random criminals, such as common robbers, is that they live by codes of conduct that are like the charters of nations. These are designed to grant sovereign power to the leader, specify what the beliefs and internal ethics that the gangsters must follow are, and impose a set of restrictions on all members. The best-known example of a criminal code is the Italian Mafia one, called omertà, which means “humility,” “honor,” and “manliness” at once. The code is purported to reflect principles of cavalleria rusticana (“rustic chivalry”), which the Mafia uses to present itself as an honorable association that emerged to help poor people. The code entails a self-styled system of ethics and justice, warning members not to dishonor themselves by taking part in petty crimes or collaborating with outside officials and outsiders generally. This chapter will look at the criminal codes of conduct. Honor is so critical to the gangsters that any act of “dishonor” perpetrated on the gang or any member is cause for revenge. The challenge of dishonor is equated with a willingness to “make the wrong right” again, in line with the pseudo-chivalric codes that the gangs adopt.
