The CPT on the Italian Prison System: Overcrowding, Detention Conditions and Structural Challenges
On 4 November 2026, the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published its report on the ad hoc visit to Italy conducted in September 2025, which aimed to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty and the conditions of detention in a number of the country’s prisons.
The continuation of sociality by other means: ethical reflection in prison
The article examines the relationship between imprisonment, social relationships, and ethical reflection through fieldwork conducted in a Portuguese prison. It highlights the role of sociality in shaping prisoners’ moral reflection and experience.
The Situational Character of Prison Violence: An Exploratory Qualitative Study
The article “The Situational Character of Prison Violence: An Exploratory Qualitative Study”, written by Dante B.C. Hoek, Ard J. Barends, Esther F.J.C. van Ginneken, and Maarten J.J. Kunst, examines the situational character of violence within prisons, focusing on the circumstances in which potentially violent situations may arise among incarcerated individuals.
Carceral hegemony: Confinement, race and state formation in Italy
The article introduces the concept of “carceral hegemony” to examine the role of confinement in the formation of the Italian state. Through a historical-sociological perspective, it explores the relationship between punitive practices, national belonging, and processes of social exclusion.
R. Cornelli (2025), Minori e criminalità. Le etichette che hanno successo e i dati che fanno pensare
An analysis of the available, well-established data does not seem to support the emergency narrative of rampant youth violence. If anything, it points to the hypothesis – initially supported by monthly incarceration trends – that political choices are accelerating the crisis of the juvenile justice system, leading to overcrowding in Juvenile Detention Institutes.
Prison, Recidivism, and Employment: A Dialogue Between Economists and Legal Scholars
On Tuesday, June 23, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the University of Milan will host a conference bringing together economists and legal scholars to discuss issues related to prisons, recidivism, and social reintegration.
Everything closed. 22nd Antigone Report on detention conditions
The 22nd Antigone Report depicts an increasingly overcrowded and “closed” prison system, marked by rising tensions and limited rehabilitative opportunities. The document provides an updated overview of detention conditions and recent penal policies in Italy.
Punitive Routines: Everyday Sanctions, 19th–20th Century
The volume reconstructs a social history of everyday sanctions between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, examining punitive practices across disciplinary institutions. Through a comparative perspective, it reflects on ordinary mechanisms of control, authority, and discipline.
Stati Generali della giustizia minorile
From May to November 2026, the working groups of the Stati Generali della giustizia minorile will convene, a collective process aimed at reaffirming a model of juvenile justice grounded in education, inclusion and the protection of rights.
Research Handbook on Penal Policy
The “Research Handbook on Penal Policy” explores the processes through which penal policies are developed, contested, and transformed, examining how punitive strategies evolve and why national systems tend to converge in some areas while diverging in others.