Psychology - Life of a Career Criminal: Bureau of Prisons

Psychology Documentary FilmThe American Mafia (or simply the Mafia or Mob in the United States), is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra (Italian for our thing). The press has also coined the name National Crime Syndicate to refer to the entirety of US organized crime, including the Mafia. The Mafia emerged in New Yorks Lower East Side and other areas of the East Coast of the United States during the late 19th century following waves of Italian immigration, especially from Sicily. It has its roots in the Sicilian Mafia, but is a separate organization in the United States. Neapolitan, Calabrian, and other Italian criminal groups, as well as independent Italian-American criminals, eventually merged with the Sicilians to create the modern pan-Italian Mafia in North America. Today, the American Mafia cooperates in various criminal activities with the Sicilian Mafia and other Italian organized crime groups, such as Camorra, Ndrangheta, and Sacra Corona Unita. The Mafia is currently most active in New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, New England, Detroit and Chicago, with smaller families, associates, and crews in places such as Los Angeles, Texas, Florida and Las Vegas. There have been at least 26 cities around the United States with Cosa Nostra families, with many more offshoots, splinter groups and associates in other cities.