Rebirth and Changes in Social Defense in Italy

Italian criminal law is still influenced by the positive school. This influence is highlighted by the complex system of security measures that still exists in the criminal code regarding dangerous criminals. However, this system has long been experiencing a serious crisis despite the recent adoption of laws that aim to protect citizens from the worst forms of criminality. In reality, the symptoms of a revival and a transformation of conceptions of social defense can be found less in laws against organized and street crime than in those on certain “criminological types of offenders”: the mentally ill, juvenile delinquents, recidivists, sex offenders, or immigrants.