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Radicalization in prison is a well-developed field of research that, particularly in the aftermath of 11 September 2001, has involved academics and practitioners in the attempt to highlight possible push and pull factors and dynamics, as well as useful strategies for preventing and countering extremism inside the facilities. Like every subject of great interest, it has given rise to numerous theories about the possible approaches to radical violence, some even at odds with each other. However, there is almost unanimous agreement that isolation from external society and the inadequate management of the right to profess one’s religious faith within prisons may be elements that increase the risk of intramural radicalization. In Italy, the COVID-19 pandemic interfered heavily not only in the lives of people belonging to free society but also – and perhaps even more – in the lives of prisoners, resulting in the total isolation of prison facilities from the outside community. The dramatic efforts to protect public health have effectively eclipsed every other right, including – for prisoners – practising one’s faith with the guidance of authorized religious leaders. The present article explores how and why these anti-virus changes in the management of the Italian penitentiary could have influenced the risk of intramural radicalization.

Background & aim. In 2017, Italian inmates 60-69 years old were 3700, while 776 had an age >= 70 years. This article aimed to analyse the socio-demographic characteristics and types of crimes committed by elderly subjects restricted in different Italian prisons. Methods. A survey has been conducted in 8 penitentiary institutes: 4 located in Lombardy, and 4 in Apulia. The participation was anonymous and voluntary. By using a standardised format, age, gender, nationality, marital status, last occupation, type of crime, and duration of the punishment were assessed. In the case of previous convictions, additional data were also collected. All records were analysed as aggregates to guarantee privacy preservation. Results. The population was mainly represented by males (93.6%), married or living with a partner (46.8%). The most prevalent crimes committed by the elderlies belongs to the category against the property (33.1%) followed soon after by those against the person (27.7%), other offences (14%), drug-related (13.8%) and mafia-type crimes (11.7%). The Southern inmates were more frequently responsible for crimes against the person (38%), while property crimes (61%) were more recurrent in the Northern inmates. Sixty-four prisoners (68.8%) were already found guilty in the past for other misconducts. The Northern inmates were more frequently recidivist, with a higher number of previous convictions (p = 0.010) and detentions (p = 0.012) compared to the Southern prisoners. Conclusions. Committing crimes in older age is strongly different from being a criminal in young or adult age, especially for the complexity that per se characterizes the older population.

This article reports on data collected in Italy as part of the International Self-Report Delinquency Study 3 (ISRD-3). Specifically, we examine whether being a young foreigner in Italy is a relevant factor in experiencing victimization. We found that having one or both parents who are foreign translates for young people into a highly critical experience of victimization. However, their experiences are varied and complex. This research thus contributes to the necessity to account for the diversification of such experiences and the everyday negotiations within which young foreigners become visible and able to produce community and nation.

We report the results of the second self-reported juvenile delinquency survey (ISRD2), carried out in Italy 14 years after the first (ISRD1) survey (Gatti et al., 1994). The second survey differs from the first in some important respects: the questionnaire, which was drawn up by the international coordination group, has partly been changed, the sample surveyed is much larger and has been extended to 15 towns, as opposed to 3 in the first study; in addition, the current sample includes 7th-, 8th-, 9th-and 10th-grade students, while the 1992 sample comprised students from the 9th to the 13th grade. A comparison of the results of the two surveys is, therefore, particularly complex (though not impossible) and, for the moment, will not be considered. It should be pointed out that the mean age of the Italian sample is higher than that of most of the samples examined in the ISRD2 survey. This is because it includes the 10th grade, while the samples considered in the other countries are generally limited to the 7th, 8th and 9th grades. In order to compare the results of the Italian study with those of the other countries, it will therefore be necessary to exclude 10th-grade students from the analysis

Il volume analizza le problematiche collegate alla detenzione femminile in una prospettiva interdisciplinare e interprofessionale.