By assessing many organized crime groups around the globe through proposed theories by criminologists, we can pinpoint and explain certain behaviors and understand why people engage in organized crime. In this article, I will uncover the infamous Sicilian mafia or the men of honor by integrating criminology theories under a microscopic lens.

As their name states, the Sicilian Mafia originated in the Northern Italian island of Sicily which was-- until the mid 19th century-- ruled by a long line of many foreign invaders and rulers. People realized during the early 1980s that the Sicilian mafia existed only when hundreds of corpses began littering the streets and many of the most prominent crime fighters in Sicily were assassinated. The Sicilian mafia was built by traditional forms of interactions commonly practiced by all Sicilians. Unlike most organized-crime groups, they are-- according to the former ex-Sicilian Mafiosi Antonino Calderone -- extremely strict and follow a highly evolved chain of command. Due to the hostile conditions created by foreign invaders and sometimes certain groups of Sicilian residents themselves, Sicilians started organizing groups for protection. Over time, the secret families implemented their own system of justice in which they extorted protection money from wealthy landowners; this act was also called Pizzo.

From Roman officials to the Catholic church, they worked for organizations and became adept at political corruption. In the 1970s, the Sicilian mafia through their now global empire became involved with international drug trafficking. Following the code of omerta, the Sicilian mafia and its families in America successfully committed bribery and a range of other underworld activities. Although many mafiosos have been arrested and the families are now weakened because of tough anti-racketeering laws, it is still “business as usual” for the Sicilian Mafia-- even today.

We can know why the criminals of organized crime groups, like the Sicilian Mafia choose to join the group through Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory (DAT). To understand if the members of the Sicilian mafia are rational in the crimes they commit, assessing and analyzing the behaviors and ideologies of the group and linking them to Rational Choice Theory (RCT) is important. It is also important to link their environment to criminal delinquency through Social Disorganization Theory (SDT).

Differential Association theory argues that criminality is learned through interaction and association with other criminals. In other words, communication with criminals or being associated with them can increase our chances of violating the law and choosing the same deviant path as the criminals. The Rational Choice Theory explains ‘rational’ as a notion of strategic thinking in which information is processed and cost and benefits are analyzed. The RCT in criminology explains that criminals make a rational choice when they are committing a crime.

The RCT as categorized under the Classical School of Criminology states that the choice of criminals is generalized through ‘free will’. This theory explains that in an individual's 'state of mind' circumstances push and pull him. He is able to then make a choice from these assumptions. Theorists argue that there are three structural factors of Social Disorganization Theory-- poor economic conditions, ethnic differences and residential mobility-- that disrupt social organization and in turn often increases crime in that community.

Insufficient law enforcement, poverty and conflict rapidly increase the likelihood of organized crime groups who afflict communities with prostitution, drug trafficking and protection racket. Because people could not fully trust the government with their properties, they started initiating private protection of properties with the help of the Sicilian Mafia. Antonino Calderone describes how he was exposed to the daily lives of the Sicilian mafia since birth. Alexander Stille in “Their Thing” likewise does a remarkable job of preserving what Calderone originally quoted. The DAT can be applied to Calderone’s story when he mentions that he began to recognize members of the mafia when he saw his older brother, a man of honor kiss other members of the organized crime group. Men of honor commonly greeted each other with a kiss. Calderone’s decision to join the Sicilian Mafia was , for him, a rational choice as he regularly saw his own brother in the family business. He even mentions being inspired by his brother and his uncle who were both Sicilian mafiosos.

The Sicilian Mafia recruits new members based on their interests and special skills which can be used to help maintain a predatory community. Being in a group which shares the interests and skills of a person can help them justify their association with that group. For members to communicate , in terms of Differential Association theory, all members must possess the necessary skills and talents for committing crimes.

The Sicilian mafiosos consider themselves to be ‘soldiers’-- a title they have used even before "The Godfather" movies. As a strict and organized crime group, the mafiosos' crimes can be excused as those of ‘soldiers’ or even ‘men of honor’ fighting in a war. We can also prove that the members are rational in their crimes as a higher authority called "The Commission" determines their actions. Calderone tells of how a decision needed by the Commission is logical, explaining that murdering a politician or a judge can cause harm to the family. In this organized group, the crimes are committed through rational thinking and every move is calculated. According to the DAT, in a society with a high crime rate, the interactions members of that community have with other aggressive people can compel them to also be aggressive.

After the to the abrogation of the Feudal rule and the establishment and distribution of property rights for land, Sicilian residents formed groups and took charge of the violence to fight back the system. The link between the formation of Mafia and the post-feudal era is interesting and may explain the Social Disorganization Theory as well.

Even those who formerly served as soldiers to barons, joined the Mafia to provide service. This can also be seen in the origins of the Yakuza crime group and the Russian Mafia. The birth of the Yakuza, like the Sicilian Mafia and the Russian Mafia, began during the post-feudal era. Because of the inability of the government to protect its people, the modern Yakuza groups still operate their private protection business in areas like crime control, lending, real estate and foreclosures. Analyzing the Yakuza can prove the feasibility of SDT in the formation of the Sicilian Mafia.

Shvarts in Russian Mafia: The Explanatory power of the Rational Choice Theory says that the Sicilian Mafia’s rational choice model could be explained through their oath of secrecy, rituals, ceremonies and rules. This, according to him, is a rational choice for the Mafia to effectively sell their protection services and confirm their legitimacy. He claims that the Sicilian Mafia is an organized and rational economic actor. The mafiosos are simply entrepreneurs trying to sell their product and market themselves but in doing so take advantage of the government’s inability to protect its people.

Like most important criminological theories, Rational Choice Theory, Differential Association Theory and Social Disorganization Theory suggest why people commit crimes by assessing the behavioral patterns of criminals. Rational Choice Theory convinces the use of rationality in the economic sector of the Sicilian Mafia while the Differential Association Theory proves that mafiosis are recruited and given a membership through association with blood family members and those engaged in crime. We noticed how the former servants of the baron joined the Sicilian Mafia in an attempt to make money and provide protection. The interactions between these former servants convinced other former servants to be members of the Mafia as well. The Social Disorganization Theory proves why dysfunctional or unstable communities in Sicily caused residents to form groups which eventually led to the rise of the Sicilian mafia.