NCJ Number
197682
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 18 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2002 Pages: 394-409
Date Published
November 2002
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article challenges the "alien conspiracy" theory as an explanation of the origin of organized crime in America as it reviews the history of Black Hand (organized crime group) activity in Chicago in the early 20th century, arguing that the development of Black Hand extortion was not related to the emergence of the Sicilian Mafia, but rather to the social structure of American society.
Abstract
The "alien conspiracy" theory maintains that organized crime in American society evolved in a linear fashion, beginning with the Mafia in Sicily and emerging in the form of the Black Hand in America's immigrant colonies and culminating in the development of the Cosa Nostra in America's urban centers. The name "Black Hand" is reportedly derived from an anarchist group that killed wealthy landowners in Spain. The adoption of the Black Hand name by Italian groups in America is probably associated with the publicity given to the Spanish society. Black Hand crimes were often described as the work of the Mafia and the Camorra (Italian crime groups). Whether intentional or not, Black Hand criminals traded on the reputations of these groups. In spite of the popular belief that Black Hand activity originated in Sicily and the south of Italy, however, there is little evidence that Black Hand practices existed there. Although the Black Hand in Chicago was not a secret society, there were many small Black Hand gangs. Black Hand extortion was often viewed as the activity of a single organization, because Black Hand criminals in Italian communities throughout the United States used the same methods of extortion. Although it was popularly believed that the Black Hand was a foreign criminal organization that had migrated to Chicago and other American cities, the historical record indicates that Black Hand extortion was the outcome of conditions that existed within American society. These conditions included the isolation of the Italian community; the Italian immigrant's mistrust of formal authority; the existence of saloons and saloonkeepers with powerful political connections; and a criminal justice system that was ineffective in repressing crime. The Chicago Italian community itself mounted efforts to counter crime by the Black Hand. The White Hand was formed in the early 1900's, and its leaders announced that it would secretly receive information about the activities of the Black Hand and provide protection to all who were threatened with Black Hand extortion. The White Hand Society also hired private investigators and attorneys to assist the police in arresting and prosecuting Black Hand criminals. The White Hand Society also advocated the establishment of a squad of Italian-American police officers to counter the activities of the Black Hand. Black Hand crimes began to disappear after 1915. One of the most important reasons for its demise was the intervention of the Federal Government based on the Black Hand's use of the U.S. mail to perpetrate its extortion schemes. Another factor that contributed to the end of the Black Hand was the upward mobility and assimilation of the Sicilian community. Further, the Prohibition era provided an opportunity for local Italian criminals in Chicago to participate in crime on a much larger scale.