Philadelphias Black Mafia could be used as primary reading in deviance and organized crime courses. Academicians in the fields of criminology, sociology, history, political science and African-American Studies will find the book compelling and important. This book provides the first sociological analysis to date of Philadelphias 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 1960s. Philadelphias Black Mafia: -is a first step in developing both data and sophisticated theoretical propositions germane to the ongoing study of organized crime; -uses primary source documents, including confidential law enforcement files, court transcripts and interviews; -explores the groups activities in detail, depicting some of the most notorious crimes in Philadelphias history; -thoroughly examines the organization of the Black Mafia and the groups alliances, conspiracies and conflicts; -challenges many of the current historical and theoretical assumptions regarding organized crime.