Remember the origins of the Mafia.... as a group of concerned citizens who were being mightily oppressed by the 'lords' (self-appointed), including Crusaders who grabbed whatever they could for their personal fiefdoms and exercised absolute rights over everything, including wives and daughters etc.
Obviously the 'laws' were set up to favour the ruling (self-appointed) elite and their chosen ones
(how little things change in hundreds of years despite 'legislations' and 'equal rights for all')
, and justice was a mockery
(repeat last bracket)
- ergo - concerned citizens of good will organised secretly to exact justice for wrongdoing.
You saw vestiges of that in the Godfather series... when justice could not be obtained through the official channels - who ya gonna call?
Don Corleone - protector of the poor and powerless..... interestingly Corleone means LionHeart...
Of course, over time - the power inherent in becoming a force to be reckoned with within the land went to the heads of the Mafia... and as in all situations of power, it corrupted them and diverted them from the original purpose of protecting the common folk.
Selah!!
They will never stamp them out.
The mafia has 100 more men for every man they jail.