Philadelphia's "Black Mafia" could be used as primary reading in deviance and organized crime courses. This book provides the first sociological analysis to date of Philadelphia's infamous "Black Mafia" which has organized crime (with varying degrees of success) in predominantly African-American sections of the city dating back to the late 1960's. Philadelphia's "Black Mafia" is a first step in developing both data and sophisticated theoretical propositions germane to the ongoing study of organized crime. It uses primary source documents, including confidential law enforcement files, court transcripts and interviews. It explores the group's activities in detail, depicting some of the most notorious crimes in Philadelphia's history, and thoroughly examines the organization of the Black Mafia and the group's alliances, conspiracies and conflicts. It also challenges many of the current historical and theoretical assumptions regarding organized crime.