There are many different types of mafias around America. There are American mafia families, Italian-American mafia families, etc... For example there is the La Cosa Notra or the American Cosa Notra family. There is the Camorra in Naples, and Sacra Corona Unita in Apulia. Mafias work in weird ways, unlike gangs they have higher ranked gangsters in the "Family". These higher ranked people make the decisions in what the mafia will do. They've controlled things from the original corner drug trade to even controlling some of the government.