Abstract

The article illustrates the recent and lively debates concerning a recent innovation introduced in the Italian legal system, namely the applicability of the preventive measures created for mafia-type crimes also against corruptive associations. Some of the organizational features of crooked networks are discussed as well, in order to show how they differ from mafia-type organizations, but also that the features of corruptive networks are precisely defined and extensively explored in the international literature. Therefore, given that corruptive networks are not a vague phenomenon, a sound application of the new provisions can be less problematic than it is sometimes depicted, and could substantially increase the effectiveness of the anti-corruption legislation.