The Gentle Use of Violence and the Human Capital Recruitment Strategies of the Casalesi Clan

Criminal networks build their strength on relationships of trust between members, which allow for the production of services such as protection or access to strategic resources, whether social or economic. Their activities are often carried out thanks to the role played by individuals who offer their skills and services in an “opaque” or irregular way. Such relationships are strategic and cannot be considered in terms of mere networks of interpersonal relations between agents that operate in the shadows or the criminal arena, nor can they be underestimated or ignored when effective prevention measures and policies are to be implemented. This paper analyses how criminal groups belonging to the Casalesi clan - a criminal organisation that has imposed the yoke of its power across a large territory in the area of Caserta, but is also active at a wider level - use violence in a gentle way, as confirmed by the low levels of violence currently recorded in the area, in order to pursue illicit goals through a direct or indirect management of economic activities aimed at maximising their profits. The true strength of this clan seems to be its strategic use of highly qualified human capital and its penetration into the economy and politics. This strategy weakens traditional law enforcement policies and stresses the need to develop more effective ones.