A Lesson in Tolerance? Juvenile Justice in Italy

Abstract

Authoritarian crime control, driven in particular by notions of zero tolerance, appears to be a growing feature of many, if not all, systems of juvenile justice across Europe. Notions of meeting needs and welfare support for marginalised and deprived children seem to have collapsed. This article examines in some detail the case of Italian juvenile justice which appears to have followed a somewhat different path over the past decade. Since a new penal law about juvenile deviance was enforced in 1988, decarceration and significant decreases in daily counts of youth incarceration have been notable trends. How has this been made possible? This article explores how tolerance and leniency are expressed within the Italian juvenile justice system and the extent to which decarceration has been made possible through a greater willingness to place informal family support above formal judicial controls. It also considers the outcomes for those who are considered to fall outside of the ‘family safety net’.

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