FOREIGN JUVENILES IN PRISON: A DOUBLE PENALTY? WHAT PROSPECT OF RE-EDUCATION?

Foreigners who are even minors have a "double problem". Because they are foreigners can have problems assimilating into society and tensions are created between them and the society that welcomes them. Conflicts may arise in relation to the culture to which they must be faithful. As young people can be characterized by typical problems of adolescence (internal conflicts, peer conflict identity problems). The result of being both foreign and young often places them in the situation of having less security and less rights than their Italian peers. The purpose of this paper is to provide a look at this situation to provide data on the conditions under which minors are subjected to the justice system with particular emphasis on young foreigners. The data analysis shows an increase in the number of arrests in juvenile delinquents as well as an increase in the percentage of proceedings initiated against young foreigners. In fact, the highest percentage concerns their arrests. The analysis of other data shows that when foreign youths "meet" the law they have a higher probability of being easily placed in detention facilities than Italians of the same age. In the face of this situation, however, we believe that in the absence of forms of inequality and attitudes of discrimination against foreign minors, they should be made subject to the same treatment opportunities reserved to Italian peers. The data allow to record some changes, Especially in the context of the possibility of taking alternative measures of detention. The world of justice must avoid both the risk of double punishment and that of a double right, that is, of an unequal right between Italians and foreigners. K