黑手党(Mafia)
成员主要是义大利人或西西里人的犯罪团体，以及在西西里和美国的犯罪组织。中世纪晚期在西西里岛兴起，可能是一种秘密组织，目的在推翻外来征服者的统治。他们从地主雇来保护庄园的小型私人军队（mafie）中吸收成员。到1900年西西里西部的黑手党「家族」控制了当地的经济命脉。1920年代墨索里尼把大多数黑手党分子打入监狱，但他们在第二次世界大战後被盟军释放，再度恢复犯罪活动。1970年代黑手党掌握了海洛因交易，导致各大氏族（派系）间激烈的火拼，以致在1980年代，锐意革新的政府努力将黑手党领导人绳之以法。在美国，一些西西里移民（包括前黑手党成员）建立了类似的犯罪运作模式，他们的活动从1920年代的走私酒类，扩大到开设赌场、贩毒及卖淫。黑手党（或称Cosa Nostra）成为美国最大的犯罪集团组织，约有二十四个独立党派或「家族」在美国操控各类非法活动。势力最大的几个家族的首领（或头领）组成一个委员会，主要的功能是裁决，能否决首领的权力。20世纪晚期，黑手党的势力大为衰落，原因是一些大头目被判罪、变节或内部倾轧谋杀。亦请参阅organized crime。
English version：
Mafia
Society of criminals of primarily Italian or Sicilian origin, and criminal organizations in Sicily and the U.S. The Mafia arose in Sicily in the late Middle Ages, possibly as a secret organization to overthrow the rule of foreign conquerors. It drew its members from the small private armies, or mafie, hired by landlords to protect their estates. By 1900 the Mafia “families” of western Sicily controlled the economies of their localities. In the 1920s Benito Mussolini jailed most of the members, but they were released by the Allies after World War II and resumed their activities. In the 1970s their control of the heroin trade led to fierce rivalry among the clans, followed in the 1980s by renewed governmental efforts to imprison the Mafia leadership. In the U.S., Sicilian immigrants included former Mafia members who set up similar criminal operations. Their operations expanded from bootlegging in the 1920s to gambling, narcotics, and prostitution, and the Mafia, or Cosa Nostra, became the largest U.S. syndicated crime organizations. About 24 Mafia groups or “families” controlled operations in the U.S.; the heads (or “dons”) of the largest families formed a commission whose main function was judicial, it being able to override a don's authority. In the late 20th century the Mafia's power was greatly diminished through convictions of top officials, defections, and murderous internal disputes. See also organized crime.
