Anagraphical relationships and crime specialization within Cosa Nostra

Abstract The aim of the present work is to investigate the relationships established within Cosa Nostra, by making use of networks and complex-systems methods. The analysis is performed at three different levels, that is, individuals, groups within mafia syndicates, and relationships amongst mafia syndicates. The reported empirical analysis is based on the criminal records of 632 affiliates to Cosa Nostra selected from a set of 125 judgements emitted by the Palermo courts from 2000 to 2014. According to the criminal records of the Palermo Prosecutor Office, such a dataset includes approximately 10% of the whole population of Cosa Nostra affiliates in western Sicily. Furthermore, the vital s…