() is a southern Italian code of silence and code of honor and conduct that places importance on silence in the face of questioning by authorities or outsiders; non-cooperation with authorities, the government, or outsiders, especially during criminal investigations; and willfully ignoring and generally avoiding interference with the illegal activities of others (i.e., not contacting law enforcement or the authorities when one is aware of, witness to, or even the victim of certain crimes).

It originated and remains common in Southern Italy, where banditry or brigandage and Mafia-type criminal organizations (like the Camorra, Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta, Sacra Corona Unita and Società foggiana) have long been strong. Similar codes are also deeply rooted in other areas of the Mediterranean, including Malta, Crete in Greece, and Corsica, all of which share a common or similar historical culture with southern Italy.

Ostracism, shunning, intimidation, societal pressure or peer pressure, and strong cultural norms are often used to reinforce and encourage silence and non-cooperation with authorities; however, violence and retaliation against informers or those who break the code of are also common in criminal circles, in which informers or traitors to the code of are often described in English by terms such as 'rats' or 'snitches' and in Italian as or , depending on the context.

Etymology

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phonology of the word indicates that it is not of Sicilian origin; it may derive from the now rare Spanish word , meaning 'manliness', after the Sicilian word ('man'). It has also been suggested that the word comes from Latin ('humility'), which became and then, finally, in some southern Italian dialects; this suggestion is not well supported by the geographical distribution of the word.

Code

The basic principle of is that one must not seek aid from legally constituted authorities to settle personal grievances. The suspicion of being a ('informant') constitutes the blackest mark against manhood, according to Cutrera. Those who have been wronged are obligated to look out for their own interests by either avenging the wrong themselves or finding a patron—not the state—to avenge them. A person should absolutely avoid interfering in the business of others and should not inform the authorities of a crime under any circumstances, but if it is justified, the person may personally avenge a physical attack on himself or on his family by vendetta—literally, a taking of revenge, a feud. Even if somebody is convicted of a crime that he has not committed, he is supposed to serve the sentence rather than give the police information about the real criminal, even if the criminal has nothing to do with the Mafia. Within Mafia culture, breaking is punishable by death.

History

is a code of silence, according to one of the first Mafia researchers Antonio Cutrera, a former officer of public security. It seals lips of men even in their own defense and even when the accused is innocent of charged crimes. Cutrera quoted a native saying which was first uttered (as goes the legend) by a wounded man to his assailant: "If I live, I'll kill you. If I die, I forgive you."

Sicilians adopted the code long before the emergence of Cosa Nostra, and it may have been heavily influenced by centuries of state oppression and foreign domination. It has been observed at least as far back as the 16th century as a way of opposing Spanish rule.

Italian-American mafioso Joseph Valachi famously broke the code in 1963, when he publicly spoke out about the existence of the Mafia and testified before a United States Senate committee. He became the first in the modern history of the Italian-American Mafia to break his blood oath. In Sicily, the phenomenon of ('he who has repented'; ) broke .

Among the most famous Mafia is Tommaso Buscetta, the first important witness in Italy, who both helped prosecutor Giovanni Falcone understand the inner workings of Cosa Nostra and described the Sicilian Mafia Commission or , the leadership of the Sicilian Mafia. A predecessor, Leonardo Vitale, who gave himself up to the police in 1973, was judged mentally ill, and so his testimony led to the conviction of only himself and his uncle.

Mario Puzo wrote novels based on the principles of and the Cosa Nostra. His best-known such works are the trilogy The Godfather (1969), The Sicilian (1984), and (2000).

See also

  • Code of silence
  • Kayfabe
  • Stop Snitchin'
  • Anatomy of a Scandal – 2022 television miniseries

Explanatory notes

References

Citations

Sources

  • Blok, Anton (1988 [1974]). The Mafia of a Sicilian Village, 1860–1960: A study of violent peasant entrepreneurs, Long Grove (Illinois): Waveland Press
  • Nelli, Humbert S. (1981 [1976]). The Business of Crime: Italians and Syndicate Crime in the United States, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press
  • Paoli, Letizia (2003). Mafia Brotherhoods: Organized Crime, Italian Style, Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press
  • Porrello, Rick (1995). The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia: Corn Sugar and Blood, New York: Barricade books
  • Servadio, Gaia (1976). Mafioso: A history of the Mafia from its origins to the present day, London: Secker & Warburg