Case Study 2: United States of America and the Enterprise Model

Abstract

The fourth chapter presents the findings from the research in the US, combining interviews with experts and law enforcement with document analysis to build a discourse around the US federal policing system against mafia and organised crime. The two historical focuses of the chapter are the events surrounding Italian-American (La) Cosa Nostra and the focus on transnational crime following the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001. This chapter considers the crucial legacy of the theoretical approaches developed in the US for an understanding of both mafia and organised crime. It presents the concept of enterprise and pattern of racketeering activities as core element of the institutional response to organised crime and mafia in the country within the US enterprise policing model.