Serving Time Only Way to Join "Il Sistema"
Life in "Il Sistema" (La Camorra) is depicted in a famous neapolitan song entitled "Il capoclan´."
Unlike Sicilians, who see the State as the eteeeeeeeeernal enemy, we Camorristi own the State, and the State is part of our daily rackets, a part of our way of doing things. Anyway, this song starts by saying: .... "Da piccolo non ha potuto mai studiare, per sfortuna se ne andò a lavorare. Si sacrificò per mangiare la sera, volle la famiglia nella miseria...... Certo questo l'ha voluto Dio, se ora è un vero uomo di strada E se ha deciso così a chi deve dare il cuore? E' capo e sa campare e noi dobbiamo rispettarlo."
More or less, the song speaks about how poor one is when little; you can not study in school. To take your family out of misery, you have to "work". And that means, you have to respect your capo clan. So, entering Il Sistema is by necessity and not by choice. Anyway, "getting in" has certain requirements. For us (and remember I´m writing from my southern Italian perspective) it means basically 2 things: 1.) do a piece of work (really it means do many....) and, 2.) spend a decent amount of time in jail.
Now. About the first one I won't elaborate for obvious reasons. But it is just like that, you do it because you do it.
The second one is more interesting. Jails in Naples are not like American jails. Although jails in Italy follow European standards, Naples is really out of Europe. So, going to jail means sharing a cell with 15-20 guys. Some sleep in the floor, you take a shit in front of many people and you get to see the same shows every day. Overall, difficult conditions to start with. Imagine life in the can during the hot summer of southern Italy without air conditioning...
If you "go away" -- as American mafiosi like to say -- and you are not part of a clan, you are on your own.
Allora, when in jail as a member of a clan you have one advantage: the clan takes care of your family. That means that somebody from the clan will visit every week and bring a bag of olio d'oliva , pomodoro pelato S. Marzano; pasta (vermicelli); formaggio parmigiano reggiano; mozzarella di bufala; pomodori verdi; carote; café......
That obligation to spend serious time in jail is what makes us Camorristi different. I believe that if you take that part of the initiation process away you would have a serious problem building character in your guys.
Unlike Sicilians, who see the State as the eteeeeeeeeernal enemy, we Camorristi own the State, and the State is part of our daily rackets, a part of our way of doing things. Anyway, this song starts by saying: .... "Da piccolo non ha potuto mai studiare, per sfortuna se ne andò a lavorare. Si sacrificò per mangiare la sera, volle la famiglia nella miseria...... Certo questo l'ha voluto Dio, se ora è un vero uomo di strada E se ha deciso così a chi deve dare il cuore? E' capo e sa campare e noi dobbiamo rispettarlo."
More or less, the song speaks about how poor one is when little; you can not study in school. To take your family out of misery, you have to "work". And that means, you have to respect your capo clan. So, entering Il Sistema is by necessity and not by choice. Anyway, "getting in" has certain requirements. For us (and remember I´m writing from my southern Italian perspective) it means basically 2 things: 1.) do a piece of work (really it means do many....) and, 2.) spend a decent amount of time in jail.
Now. About the first one I won't elaborate for obvious reasons. But it is just like that, you do it because you do it.
The second one is more interesting. Jails in Naples are not like American jails. Although jails in Italy follow European standards, Naples is really out of Europe. So, going to jail means sharing a cell with 15-20 guys. Some sleep in the floor, you take a shit in front of many people and you get to see the same shows every day. Overall, difficult conditions to start with. Imagine life in the can during the hot summer of southern Italy without air conditioning...
If you "go away" -- as American mafiosi like to say -- and you are not part of a clan, you are on your own.
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| Member of the Di Lauro clan. |
But if you keep your mouth shut and behave, you can sometimes become part. I remember a case when some guys from the Potenza area actually got made in jail by guys of the Moccia clan -- a small clan, not too many guys inside the joint or outside, but they got in. And if you are taken by a clan, small or large, you are in it for life. Bigger and stronger clans, like the Casalesi, Di Lauro, Giordano and Russo clans, have a lot of material to choose from.
But to get in: it matters not how much you kill and not even how much money you can make.You must have your experience in jail. You see, that is why we would never have a Jack Falcone among us.
Allora, when in jail as a member of a clan you have one advantage: the clan takes care of your family. That means that somebody from the clan will visit every week and bring a bag of olio d'oliva , pomodoro pelato S. Marzano; pasta (vermicelli); formaggio parmigiano reggiano; mozzarella di bufala; pomodori verdi; carote; café......
This may not be a lot by American standards, but in Naples it helps. [And the American Mafia doesn't lift a finger for most of its members/affiliates who are in prison.---Scarpo.]
But this means that you must stay active, whether in the joint or not. In the joint one of your daily tasks is to observe the new arrivals -- those who have done some work for the clan, those who would like to become part of the clan, and those who are from your geographical área. Remember, in Naples, you join the Clan of your own región so that way, everybody knows you and your family.
You want to see if they can handle the pressure, the abuse of other inmates; you want to see if they accept visits from the State attorney or if they stick to the gold rule: Just do your time. The penitentiary system is like the minors leagues for us. Where can you teach a young one how to kill with your own hands? Where can you teach young ones how to use a knife? What you do is get a large hanging slab of pork, like you see at the butcher shop and you teach il più piccoli where to stick the knife. It feels like a human body and you can locate where the different organs are.
You see, jail is important for us. It really is like going to College.
There was a time in the early 80s and late 90s when the ritual of "getting made" involved the sharing of blood among clan members. The idea is that all members come from a common ancestor. So, the capo clan would (in my days) make a small cut on his right hand, and you would cut yours and then you would hold your capo's hand.You where then part of the clan, joined by blood. Nowadays it is different because of health issues. But in my day, it really meant something.
You want to see if they can handle the pressure, the abuse of other inmates; you want to see if they accept visits from the State attorney or if they stick to the gold rule: Just do your time. The penitentiary system is like the minors leagues for us. Where can you teach a young one how to kill with your own hands? Where can you teach young ones how to use a knife? What you do is get a large hanging slab of pork, like you see at the butcher shop and you teach il più piccoli where to stick the knife. It feels like a human body and you can locate where the different organs are.
You see, jail is important for us. It really is like going to College.
There was a time in the early 80s and late 90s when the ritual of "getting made" involved the sharing of blood among clan members. The idea is that all members come from a common ancestor. So, the capo clan would (in my days) make a small cut on his right hand, and you would cut yours and then you would hold your capo's hand.You where then part of the clan, joined by blood. Nowadays it is different because of health issues. But in my day, it really meant something.
That obligation to spend serious time in jail is what makes us Camorristi different. I believe that if you take that part of the initiation process away you would have a serious problem building character in your guys.