Hello all, first time posting here in about ten years. I am curious as to the treatment of modern day mobsters in prison. Obviously, the days of mobsters practically owning prisons ala Goodfellas is over. A few specific incidents thzt i recently read about have led me to wonder this,for example the Lucchese family working with the crips, particularly Perna reaching out to stop an associate from getting extorted. Another such incident is John Alite getting his teeth knocked out in prison. The incident that led me to post this, however, is Cleveland LCN member Allie Calabrese dying of a stroke after being beaten by another inmate. So basically my question is this, are modern day mobsters often targets of violence or extortion from other inmates in prison? Any insight on this, or the Calabrese incident in particular would be much appreciated. Thanks.
La Cosa Nostra as a whole is not nearly as powerful or as influential as they used to be. Granted, they are still strong and powerful in spots, but overall, they are not necessarily the top dogs, in or outside of prison. The demographics in this country have changed so much over the last 30-40 years, there are too many rival/competing criminal organizations around for La Cosa Nostra to claim "big dog" status.
Of course, a connected wiseguy would still demand a certain amount of respect by virtue of their membership in an organized crime family, but that membership in and of itself is not necessarily enough to hold sway over any other gangster in prison.
Outside prison, most gangsters thrive in their own ethnic enclaves, where they have clout, protection, and numbers. Put them inside a prison, especially a prison outside of their state or region, and they are basically just a number.
In terms of a guy like Gotti, even though he was a ruthless, degenerate gangster, I felt a twinge of sadness when reading about his assault at the hands of that black prisoner. Gotti, a member of one of the oldest, most ruthless Italian criminal organizations in the U.S, getting beaten down by some two-bit bank robber who couldn't hold Gotti's jock in terms of wealth, notoriety, or reputation.
But it just goes to show you that the joint can be a great equalizer, no matter who you are or who you are with!
