High-profile mafia murders: Understanding targeted assassinations carried out by organised crime in Italy

Homicides of politicians, prosecutors and judges perpetrated by mafiosi often make the media headlines, but are rarely considered in the social sciences. In the 1980s and the early 1990s, mafia wars in Italy took a heavy toll on anti-mafia judges, law enforcement officers, and politicians. The intrinsic relevance of the topic is increased by mafias and organised crime extending their reach beyond traditional strongholds and borders in recent decades. This makes it even more important to understand why and when organised crime groups directly challenge political and judicial authority (and/or other high-profile targets such as trade unionists and journalists). This chapter focuses on the three most prominent mafia groups currently operating in Italy - i.e., Cosa Nostra, the Camorra and the ‘Ndrangheta - and investigates the rationale(s) underpinning their use of high-profile homicides. The chapter critically reviews the major theories that can explain the use of violence in organised crime, focusing on four dimensions: (a) criminal groups’ organisational features, (b) the type of markets penetrated by mafia groups, (c) the structure of political opportunities, and (d) law enforcement strategies. It is based on the empirical analysis of an original dataset of mafia homicides carried out since the late 19th century in Italy.