‘Offer they can’t refuse’: Are Italian mafia rules breaking crime or families? | | Crime Stories

Italy’s mafia clans have been keeping the family business alive for generations, passing the reins of crime from fathers to sons in a pattern that has existed for centuries. But with criminal networks still operating in all parts of the country, a The Italian government now they want to give the next generation something that – you hope – they can’t resist.

The Italian Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to the “Freedom of Choice” (Liberi di Scegliere) bill, a law that would give children and youths raised in mafia families the chance to escape from the institutions they might expect to inherit.

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Under the law, people between the ages of 25 and relatives who care for them can be transferred outside their community, given education and psychological support and, if necessary, given new signs, expanding nationwide the pioneer program that was first started in the south of Calabria.

However, critics say the law gives the government more power to intervene in family life and the dangers of separating children from their parents. Here’s what we know:

Why are family ties so important to the mafia?

Italy still has major mafia organizations, including the Cosa Nostra of Sicily, the Camorra in the province of Naples and the Calabria-Ndrangheta.

Although the leadership is not directly born in Cosa Nostra or Camorra, blood ties are very important in the structure of the ‘Ndrangheta, which has become one of the most powerful organizations in the world.

Sons of elders may be expected to take over their father’s authority and assume responsibilities in the family, sometimes at a young age.

These family ties have also made the Ndrangheta more difficult for investigators to penetrate. Cooperation with the authorities may mean involving parents, brothers, uncles and cousins.

This has put the agency at odds with Italy’s system of ‘pentiti’ – members of the mafia who give evidence to prosecutors in exchange for immunity or a reduced sentence.

While sometimes mass arrests and serious crimes have locked up generations of adults, with fathers and grandfathers serving long or even life sentences, younger relatives often step forward to take over the family business. So the new law wants to break the family law before naming another generation.

What does the law provide?

The Act creates a national framework for the protection of minors and young people living in areas affected by organized crime.

The authorities will be able to transfer eligible youths accompanied by their family members beyond the area where they live. They can receive housing, education, job training, psychological support and support to establish independent living.

The law prioritizes that women and children live together, unless the woman agrees to leave the gang.

When that is not possible, the court may arrange for the child to live with an approved foster family or in a sheltered environment.

Actions do not depend on the family member testifying against the mafia. The main goal is to protect people who want to leave the crime scene, rather than to recruit them as witnesses.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the law as a “new prevention tool” that would help the police and the prosecution.

“The government will provide another way of freedom for those who are born into mafia families who do not want to grow up to be mafiosos,” he said.

“Children, young people and women will have the opportunity to choose their own path, and the government will give them the protection they need to live a free, honest and safe life anywhere else.”

Where did the program come from?

The law came from an experimental program launched by Roberto Di Bella, who became the president of the children’s court in Reggio Calabria around 2011.

Di Bella has repeatedly met with children accused of the same crimes as their father and grandfather. He added that widespread punishment did little to stop the cycle.

Under the program, courts can temporarily remove children from dangerous ‘Ndrangheta families and transfer them outside of Calabria.

Social workers, teachers and psychologists then helped them to continue their education and live beyond the tribal rule. Parents who continued to involve their children in criminal activities were in danger of losing their parental rights.

This work was later established through protocols and extended beyond Calabria, including Sicily.

Di Bella called it freedom of choice because, he said, children who grew up in mafia organizations were not given a real choice about their future.

Why is it contradictory?

The program has been heavily criticized since its launch, with Mr Di Bella criticized by politicians, commentators and members of the Catholic Church for beating the family and punishing children for crimes committed by their parents.

Mafia figures also threatened those involved in the attack. On one occasion, a prison officer sent Di Bella a message reminding the judge that she also had children – a warning that was widely interpreted as a threat.

But advocates say children are already being abused, coerced and trained into terrorism in some mafia families – and that leaving them there could lead to prison or death.

The program grew after other women from Ndrangheta clans began secretly approaching Di Bella, he said. Many asked for help to get their sons out of Calabria because they feared that the boys would not join the family, be killed or imprisoned.

Don Luigi Ciotti, an anti-mafia priest and founder of the campaign, welcomed the law, expressing “great joy” for the protection it would provide to people leaving mafia areas.

The president of the Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission, Chiara Colosimo, said: “This law was born as a result of listening, suffering turned into responsibility, from the idea that the government should be there exactly when crime says it will decide the fate of people.

“Today, we are not only celebrating the acceptance of the law, but today we are celebrating the victory of freedom.”