The Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce, headed by Senator Estes Kefauver (D, TN), was the largest effort to expose organized crime in U.S. history. Frank Erickson, who was indicted on charges of gambling, invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions. Frank Costello, one of the most notorious Mafia figures of the day, also refused to answer any questions, citing illness. Despite Costello's silence, the...

Prisons have become incubators for hate, where ethnic and white supremacist enclaves vie for control through violence and coercion directed along color lines. In part one of this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel talks with prisoners doomed to solitary confinement due to their gang affiliations. They discuss the dangers that drove them to join-and that keep them looking over their shoulders even in the so-called protective environment of a supermax...

The infamous 18 are El Salvador's biggest gang. The members battle with the rival MS13 for control of the drug market. They charge rent to local businesses and kill those who don't pay. They are teenagers, the orphans of civil war, born in the heat of battle and unfazed by death. MS13 and the 18 together form the world's biggest multinational gang. Padre, a local priest says, "If Christ had been born here he'd have been high-risk…born poor and with...

Based on the true story of Rita Atria and Judge Paolo Borsellino, The Sicilian Girl is the dramatic retelling of Atria's Story: how a 17 year-old Sicilian whose father and brother were both Mafia Members (and victims) breaks the vow of silence that enshrouds that world, and gives evidence to famed anti-Mafia judge Borselllino.

Nobody is safe in Salinas, California, where two Latino gangs, Nuestra Familia and the Mexican Mafia, are at war. Through exclusive interviews with NF members and law enforcement personnel, this program describes Nuestra Familia's formation by convicts inside the prisons of northern California, its military-like structure, its dismaying power throughout the region and the U.S., and Operation Black Widow, a controversial joint task force between the...

This edition of Investigative Reports provides a chilling look at the skinheads, a volatile movement that became increasingly subtle and sophisticated in spreading its divisive and dangerous message. Unlike the original skinheads - too extreme to become a significant threat to society - the new skinheads worked hard to blend in with society as they coordinated their ongoing campaigns of extreme violence with other organized hate groups such as the...

After murdering a man, Salvo, a ruthless Sicilian hit man, discovers the man's sister, a young blind girl, witnessed the whole thing. Haunted by their brief exchange, the two will attempt to navigate their dangerous next steps side by side.

In Richmond, California, gang violence, drug abuse, and teen pregnancy are daily realities for at-risk youth. But this cycle of despair is being broken by a coalition of community agencies formed to intervene on a day-to-day, one-on-one basis. In this program, the methods and results of Lincoln Elementary School and its Lion Club, Familias Unidas, Child Haven, and Head Start are examined. Together, their mission is to provide wholesome activities...

Nationally acclaimed writer and poet Luis Rodriguez tells the story of his personal journey and transformation from an East Los Angeles gang member to teacher and mentor to Chicago's street kids. Rodriguez' mission to save his son, Ramiro - a member of a Chicago street gang - from prison is also documented, along with their struggle to heal their relationship scarred by Luis' past neglect of his son.

Gang violence plagues schoolyards and pervades city streets. Both inner-city and suburban teenagers are confronted by it daily. This documentary-style program features former gang members and their stories. Each one views his/her experience differently and viewers will learn who joins gangs, the reasons they join, and alternatives to gang life. It's no secret that a gang lifestyle can be attractive to teenagers, so we talk to psychologists and inner-city...