Organised crime in Basilicata: the social perception from young people

Abstract

Targets of this work – which is part of a more extensive inquiry conducted also in Sicily, Calabria, Campania and Puglia – are study and critical analysis of social reaction on organized crime matters, in the Italian region of Basilicata, that have been expressed
by students attending the last three years of secondary schools (high school, professional school, technical college). To reach this goal, it has been submitted a specifically created questionnaire to 270 young people living in the province of Matera.
After collecting personal and socio-environmental data, interviewees have been involved on the main theme, which is related to characteristic and nominal aspects of organized
crime, to criminal activities, to State's responses, to relationship between the public sector and organized crime, to conspiracy of silence and turning informant.
Despite a remarking high level of denied responses, it came to light a spare knowledge on organized crime, its constitutional aspects, crimes, goals and territory control.
We noticed unanimous and strict disapproval about mafia crimes, its system of (counter) values, its power-seeking beyond rules, its violence, its structural illegal activities.
A marked opinion of blame came out towards conspiracy of silence, even though many interviewees normalized their opinion considering the specific gravity of mafia threats.
It also pointed out mistrust and pessimism towards public power, either through indicating collusion, complicity between organized crime and State, or referring to deficiency by public machine of control and prevention-repression functions.
Finally, experience of almost resignation wafts from the survey, of fatal cohabitation, of forced passiveness, outlining, less than what raised from the survey in Campania and Calabria, an hostile attitude towards mafia, but, meanwhile, custom to cohabitation, idea that is reasonably connected to “power” of Mafia, but also to opinions about deficiency and co-respondent of public powers made by the interviewees.