Factors in John Gottis Choice to Join Organized Crime

Dominic Pizarro
California State University, Long Beach
Running head: JOHN GOTTIS INVOLVEMENT IN ORGANIZED CRIME 1
Abstract
This paper addresses the case of John Gotti, specifically his developed interest and eventual
participation in organize crime, particularly the Gambino crime family. I suggest that Gotti
lacked the necessary familial bonds he should have received at home, and coupled with his
familys financial instability Gotti was driven to fill his needs by joining the Gambino crime
family. Gotti grew up in a large family, and his mother was not always present, so because of his
current situation and lack of proper role modeling, Gotti felt the only solution was organized
crime. By studying the case of John Gotti, I conclude, we can come to a new understanding of
the thought process young individuals go through when choosing to potentially join organized
crime. We can also come to a new appreciation for those young individuals who choose to
continue education and have the moral strength to decline offers to join organized crime.
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Factors in John Gottis Choice to Join Organized Crime
The grandson of Italian immigrants, John Gotti was born in October of 1940 in East New
York. Growing up in a low income family with 13 siblings, Gotti began to carry out small tasks
for the local mobsters in his neighborhood; eventually Gottis interest in the criminal lifestyle
became more active as he joined his first gang, the Fulton-Rockaway Boys. Deciding his
criminal life was more important than his education, Gotti quit school at age 16 and continued to
advance in the criminal world, joining the infamous Gambino crime family. Gotti began to
develop a false sense of invulnerability as he escaped justice countless times, and this mentality
drove him to eventually order the murder of his boss, establishing Gotti as the crime boss, or
Don, of the Gambino crime family (Mafia boss John Gotti is born, n.d.).
Gottis large family caused Gotti to become the subject of neglect and he failed to create
proper familial bonds that would support his self-confidence. Both his faulty family structure
and low-income background cause Gotti to develop a need for a sense of family and financial
stability. Anthony Pinizzotto (2007) interviewed a self-admitted gang member who sated:
Yeah, it was like another family. You know, at the time, that was all I had to lean on. My
family members wasn't there. My mom was on dope, you know, and I was staying with
my auntie, and she had five other kids she had to worry about besides me. So, I made my
choice to join the gang....
(Pinizzotto 2007)
Many individuals who join gangs, empathize with the previous quote. In Violent Encounters: A
Study of Felonious Assaults on Our Nations Law Enforcement Officers (2006), all of 13 study
participants, stated an absence of a male role model during their childhood. Those participants
JOHN GOTTIS INVOLVEMENT IN ORGANIZED CRIME 3
who reported having a mother instead, still lacked parental guidance due to the mothers working
full time and leaving their children unsupervised (Davis, Miller, & Pinizzotto, 2006). Young
individuals do not join gangs because of a love of violence, rather they join to find love
nonexistent in their home environments. Protection, brotherhood, camaraderie, are all healthy
feelings needed for the proper upbringing of a young individual, but the process through which
an individual attempts to achieve these feelings is essential. The size of Gottis family should
have provided the perfect opportunity to form lifelong bonds, however socioeconomic factors led
Gotti to believe he needed better individuals to bond with. Similar to Gotti, many gang
members lacked educational structure and assistance, with 82% of study participants having no
degree.
Along with lack of familial bonds and educational background, several other factors
leading to gang involvement were brought to light in a study conducted by the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention (2001): Neighborhood influences, peer groups, and
individual beliefs. Individuals who lived in a neighborhood with troublesome youth are 3.0
times more likely to join a gang and individuals who associate with friends exhibiting
problematic behaviors are 2.3 times more at risk then individuals who associate with well
behaved friends. These statistics show that an individual is not necessarily born a gang member,
but is rather drawn to the gang society through peer influence or lack of proper familial
influences (OJJDP 2001). This information leads to the conclusion, that gang involvement can
be greatly reduced if young individuals are supplied with proper mentors, who can provide
guidance and support a young individuals easily susceptible self image.
JOHN GOTTIS INVOLVEMENT IN ORGANIZED CRIME 4
Gotti committed crimes throughout his lifetime which are inexcusable, however by
viewing the factors causing him to join the Colombo family in conjunction with the provided
study findings, it is possible to locate a solution to a large societal problem. Familial
involvement cannot be forced, however governmental programs can be instated to provide at risk
youth with proper guidance and assistance in building a proper life free of gang involvement.
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Refrences
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2006, August). Violent Encounters: A Study of Felonious
Assaults on Our Nation's Law Enforcement Officers [PDF file]. Retrieved from
http://freedomsadvocate.com/files/ref/FBi-ViolentEncounters-
AStudyofFeloniousAssaultsonAmericasLawEnforcementOfficers-2003.pdf
History.com: Mafia Boss John Gotti is born. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2013, from
History.com website: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mafia-boss-john-
gotti-is-born
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (2006, August). Early Precursors of
Gang Membership: A Study of Seattle Youth [PDF file]. Retrieved from http://
www.cops.usdoj.gov/html/cd_rom/solution_gang_crime/pubs/
EarlyPrecursorsofGangMembershipAStudyofSeattleYouth.pdf
Pinizzotto, A. J. (n.d.). Frost's Meditations: Gangs and Gang Mentality. Retrieved October 14,
2013, from http://martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/dec2008/gang-mentality.html


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