In the past it used to be absolutely forbidden to steal in the families' territories. If the thief was caught, he was first severely warned and then, if he lapsed again, physically punished. By the time I came back from Brazil [in 1972, after his arrest and extradition] I learned with disgust at the Ucciardone [prison] that times had changed and that it was even possible to commit crimes against property... so long as one had permission from a man of honor, who, in granting it, earned a share of the profits. (TB: III, 137)

QUESTION: This decay of internal moral codes under institutionalization parallels other organized groups. Worth tracing what caused this shift in the 1960s-70s.

Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Busi…, loc. 496