"I know that what happened has shocked many of you. It has raised fears, questions, perhaps even discouragement. That's why I say to you: let's not let ourselves be overcome by darkness. To my beloved students, don't stop, don't give up, study and prepare for your future without fear, but with courage alone. This wound must not become a wall, but a bridge: towards a more caring school, towards a more united community, towards a new way of supporting children, especially those who are struggling the most, like perhaps the one who struck me, who perhaps deep down won't even know why, just as his parents won't know. If the Lord grants it to me, I will return. I will return to the classroom, to the desks, where I have always felt I belonged. I will return to teaching, to believing in young people, to accompanying them in their difficult journeys. Because, despite everything, teaching remains my dream, my calling, my greatest joy."
These words, spoken by Professor Chiara Mocchi, after being stabbed in Bergamo by a 13-year-old student, offer us the opportunity to address the issue of juvenile delinquency in a serious and appropriate manner, without giving in to political manipulation that only serves to reinforce the idea that there is a need for increased police security measures at school. My position is not to justify the crime, but simply to contribute to explaining the problem, with the help of valid research, which demonstrates how far the prevention of these incidents is from punitive measures, implemented only after the crimes have been committed.Why does a teenager commit a crime? Are criminals born? Should a minor who commits a crime be punished, educated, or treated?
If we analyze the main criminological theories developed throughout history, many are descriptive, meaning they limit themselves to describing the correlation between social factors and delinquent behavior. Others focus more on the psychological qualities of the offender, while others go so far as to identify biological elements typical of the offender. It's clear that there's a gap in thinking in analyzing the phenomenon itself, and this can give a sense of the uncertainty and vagueness that characterize the scientific landscape on the subject. Without judging certain lines of thought, it's important to emphasize, in these theories, the lack of exploration into the depths of the emotions and human dimensions of those who, in an age of shocking change, find themselves in conflict with society and their peers in such a violent and destructive way. Can a young person who has fallen prey to delinquent behavior be offered a sincere and valid developmental opportunity to change their destiny? In this regard, it would be interesting to study new theoretical and practical approaches involving institutions in the fields of mental health, social support, and even juvenile justice, and understand whether they are negatively impacted by the lack of understanding of adolescent offenders. Disappointment, or the tragedy experienced after losing hope for a better life in adolescence, cannot and must not be met with indifference from adults in proposing meaningful change.
To date, the necessary condition for a person to be held accountable for a crime is that they be criminally responsible, meaning they must be at least 14 years of age at the time of the crime and be capable of understanding and willing. Anyone under 14 is not punishable, because, according to the legislator, they are not yet mature enough to evaluate the consequences of their actions. In recent years, especially due to the proliferation of so-called "baby gangs," the debate on the criminal responsibility of minors under 14, starting at age 12, has been reopened. The legal profession, sociologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists are questioning not only whether a minor truly has the capacity to understand, but above all whether it is beneficial for their recovery to include them in the criminal justice system.
In any case, the primary purpose of juvenile proceedings has always been rehabilitation rather than punishment, but in 2023, the provisions regarding precautionary measures were amended due to the exponential increase in crimes committed by minors. With Legislative Decree 123 of September 15, 2023, known as the Caivano Decree after the location where the gang rape of two thirteen-year-olds occurred that same year, juvenile proceedings have taken on characteristics that are somewhat closer to those of adult trials. Indeed, in this case, the punitive component supersedes the re-educational component, which has been the foundation of juvenile proceedings. The additional measures envisaged, among others, include the extension of pre-trial detention to minor drug-related offenses, and the implementation of the urban DASPO (Detention Order), which requires the removal from a specific area other than the minor's residence for crimes such as brawling, violence, battery, and threats. This measure is enforceable ex officio, meaning it can be applied even without reporting the victims. Interestingly, 34 US states have no minimum age for arrest, and in others the limit is set at 10 years of age. In some states, minors can be detained in adult prisons if they have committed crimes against the state. In the United States, the Supreme Court only declared the death penalty for minors unconstitutional in 2005.
What is an alternative approach to the problem of juvenile delinquency? As its etymology suggests, deriving from the Latin adolescens, the present participle of the verb adolescere (to grow), adolescence is by definition the age of change. It is often mistakenly said that the adolescent is both a child and an adult. In reality, they are no longer a child and not yet an adult. During this transitional phase, they live in a true "middle ground," where they venture out in search of autonomy and new, more complex social relationships. All of this leads to a crisis, which, however, is not a pathological crisis, but a physiological instability, necessary for growth and the affirmation of one's identity. The term "crisis" derives from the Greek krisis, meaning choice, decision. Crisis can therefore become an opportunity to question oneself, to ask questions, to seek solutions, to bring about transformation. An extremely delicate task for those working with adolescents is trying to understand whether we are facing a "normal crisis" process that requires only respect and patience, or whether behind a certain behavior lies a dimension of destructiveness and omnipotence, the expression of serious alterations in the psychological and emotional structure of these young people.
Therefore, it is essential to know how to observe, listen, and, above all, grasp the meaning conveyed by their risky behaviors, as they can often conceal urgent cries for help. Moreover, adolescents rarely verbalize their distress, tending to express it more often through action and behavior. If we then consider adolescents who commit crimes, this issue becomes even more poignant. Indeed, these are young people who, in most cases, act without any awareness of their own distress. Shifting our attention to the psychological content that drives their behavior therefore appears essential to being able to go "beyond" what they manifestly present to us: it means analyzing the latent, that is, the affects that underlie the psychodynamics of relationships. In the culture of guilt, which developed with the advent of Christianity and is still very much alive and well, the principle is established that social order is guaranteed through prohibitions and bans, the violation of which induces (or should induce) feelings of guilt, remorse, and anguish.
But what we, as teachers and staff in schools viewed as educational communities, care about is the ability to imagine and then think about adolescents, and especially young offenders, in terms of preventing and treating their psychological distress, even before they reach a courtroom. The adoption of police control measures in schools seems even less effective, because when faced with a troubled child who is gradually losing his inner beauty, consumed by anger or, worse, hatred, it is the adults' job to understand and intervene. Thinking in this way about schools as educational communities, it seems clear that the real fault today lies in failing to intervene intelligently and sensitively, allocating resources to listening and prevention efforts to support teachers, provided by qualified professionals throughout the country. This, in my opinion, would be more appropriate and effective than providing metal detectors to schools.
Bibliography
Laura Castaldo, Pieritalo Pompili, Ilaria Lisai, Young Offenders: Delinquents Are Not Born, L'Asino d'oro, Rome, 2025.
https://alternativalibertaria.fdca.it/wpAL/
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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