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8 J. Contemp. Crim. Just. iii (1992)

handle is hein.journals/jccj8 and id is 1 raw text is: Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice iii Vol. 8 * No. 1 * February 1992 EDITORIAL COMMENT One of the most popular and powerful images of crime in American society is organized crime. The Mafia (La Cosa Nostra) is a favorite Hollywood theme perpetuated by movies like the Godfather 1, 11, and III and Goodfellas. This traditional view was featured in the President's Crime Commission report (1967) and Donald Cressey's influential Theft of a Nation (1969). It was sponsored by a number of different events including the discovery of a meeting of organized crime leaders in Apalachin, New York (1957) and the testimony of La Cosa Nostra member, Joseph Valachi before the U.S. Senate in 1963. These common threads formed a portrait of an omnipotent, national syndicate, the Mafia. However, there is a considerable controversy over how organized crime should be defined. The distinguishing feature of Cressey's bureaucratic model is the insistence that La Cosa Nostra is a nationwide conspiracy under the control of the various families across the country operating under a confederation or commission. Thus law enforcement officials believe, the best method of controlling organized crime is to apprehend and prosecute family members, especially the bosses. According to several scholars (most notably Joseph Albini), organized crime does not follow a unified, national conspiracy. Instead, crime bodies are independent, local entities often centered in major cities with no formal national ties. Rather, it follows an informal, loosely structured, open system. Structure is largely determined by function, not rational bureau- cratic action. The articles contained in this volume add to the attempt to accurately define organized crime as a criminological concept. The articles presented by Haller, Rogovin and Martens, and Kelly were submitted under the sponsorship of the International Association for the Study of Organized Crime. The work by Potter and Gaines deals with an ignored issue in organized crime - how it operates in rural areas of the country. I thank these scholars for their contributions and Professor George E. Rush for the opportunity to develop this issue. Professor Pat Ryan of Long Island University/C.W. Post deserves special thanks for his work in the preparation of this volume. We also express our gratitude to Dorothy Fields of the School of Justice Adminis- tration at the University of Louisville for her efforts in preparing the manuscripts for publication. Gennaro F. Vito, Ph.D.,Professor School of Justice Administration, University of Louisville

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