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The influence and penetration by the Mafia into various sectors of the government and legal system throughout the 20th century is an issue of great concern that Earl Johnson Jr. a Special Attorney in the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the United States Department of Justice discusses in his paper Organized Crime: Challenge to the American Legal System: Part III. Legal Antidotes for the Political Corruption Induced by Organized Crime. The paper explores possible remedies to the corruption created by the mafia through four possible measures
The first technique is that of initiating legal action against organized crime even when prosecutors are influenced and bought out not to take legal action. Remedying this situation is essential because if the prosecutor refuses to take action, the court is essentially powerless to react to illegal activity One possible remedy here is for the court to appoint a special prosecutor in the event that it appears the prosecutor is un willing to take any action. Other possible actions include substitution to the states Attorney General, a private person or the Federal Government.
The government and legal body on all levels must also not only discourage officials from becoming corrupt but also try not hire corrupt officials in the future. Sanction both Civil and Criminal can be taken against officials that are corrupt. The author describes the legal process involved in prosecuting someone from start to finish as a set of contest that the court must win at all steps along the way.
This paper sets up an understanding of the legal system and an acknowledgement of the corruption therein. In “The Godfather”, one of the central tools of any organized crime family is political connections. Throughout the movie, one can see corruption present at numerous points throughout the government, from corrupt police officers to an acknowledgment that the Don even has Judges and Senators “in his pocket.” The central conflict evolves from the fact that Don Vito Corrleone has legal contacts which are of tremendous value to other crime organization, contacts that worth killing for.
This article written by Earl Johnson Jr. is used to express the influence of organized crime on American society. Johnson discusses and analyzes the reasons behind the difficulty in suppressing organized crime through traditional methods.
Throughout the essay he discusses the influence that organized crime has ranging from entertainment such as TV, books and newspaper articles, to the economy. He states that the action of organized crime takes money away from society and law abiding citizens, thus being a detriment to society. Organized crime also participates in other illicit actions such as violent crimes and getting rid of free competition. All of these tactics are used in order to give the organizations power. Johnson believes the reason for this immunity from the law is due to the fact that these crime organizations buy politicians and enforcement agents, corrupting the system and ruining its integrity. In addition to this, Johnson points out there is a distinct structure within these organizations to make insure that the leaders are safe from any prosecution.
Johnson refers to two other main attributes which protect organized crime from any problems is the corruption throughout the American legal system as well as the façade that these organizations establish.
From these reasons it is easy to see why these organizations continue to exist. Despite the knowledge of the government, they continue to be above the law and have nothing standing in there way.
These themes were all present throughout the film, as the Corleone family held many politicians “in their pocket.” Government officials were never present in the film, as they held no authority over these families. The only form of regulation was through the interactions between the five families.