Research
Observatory for the Promotion of Democratic Security Policies
The Observatory, established at CRIMePO under a cooperation agreement between the Municipality of Milan and the University of Milan, aims to broaden knowledge of security-related phenomena and to strengthen the capacity of local authorities to address security issues while respecting rights and freedoms and actively involving individuals and communities.
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Observatory on criminal and security legislation
The Observatory is developing a continuously updated database to track the numbers, types, content, and overall scope of punitive legislative acts passed by the Italian legislature. Additionally, it aims to publish an annual report on the evolution of criminal and security legislation in Italy.
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The Use of Force and Its Limits in the Penitentiary Context
The research, funded through PSR grants by the University of Milan, aims to explore the challenges surrounding the use of force in the prison system by gathering the experiences and perspectives of prison staff.
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The Determinants of Urban Security Policies
The project aims to identify the reasons behind the rise of increasingly punitive security policies over the past thirty years. Specifically, it empirically examines bottom-up models (policies as a response to citizen demands) and top-down models (policies as a tool used by elites to shape public opinion) to determine which is more explanatory of the Italian context.
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Police and Youth with Migrant Backgrounds in the San Siro District of Milan
The study investigates the relationship between young people with a migrant background and the police through a mixed-method research approach in the San Siro district of Milan.
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Case 137 and the Legacy of the Genoa G8, Twenty-Five Years On
AriAnteo di Palazzo Reale – Piazza Duomo 12, Milan
From Protracted Conflict to Sustainable Peace? The Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus and International Law
The book “From Protracted Conflict to Sustainable Peace? The Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus and International Law” explores one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how international law can respond to the realities of long-lasting armed conflicts and contribute to sustainable peace.
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.
New call for applications for the National PhD in Peace Studies
The new call for applications for the National PhD in Peace Studies has been published. The University of Milan participates in the programme through the curriculum dedicated to restorative justice, transitional justice, and the nonviolent transformation of conflicts.
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.
Comments&Opinions
From “secure” rights to security “at the cost” of rights: the paradigm shift of the latest security decree
The new security decree, Legislative Decree 24/02/2026 no. 23, converted into law on 24 April 2026, represents the latest crucial turning point in a gradual paradigm shift. Criminal law, which should constitute the extrema ratio, to be used only when all other forms of public policy intervention have failed, becomes the legislature’s first response to any sign of social conflict. This is a securitarian drift that strikes at the very essence of the liberal democratic state.
“We want change but not like this”: Iran between violence and the desire for liberation
What is the relationship between violence and freedom? Can violence truly emancipate? Taking the situation in Iran as a starting point, this is a reflection on one of the most persistent promises in recent political history: that violence can be an instrument of liberation. A promise that, in practice, so often turns out to be a betrayal.
The case of the ‘Weekend Snipers’ in Sarajevo and violence as a consumable practice
Reflecting on the Commodification of Violence: The Case of the ‘Weekend Snipers’.
Violence and security in the favelas of Rio De Janeiro: between failed policies and “bare life”
In Rio de Janeiro, a comprehensive reform of public security and law enforcement is urgently required, one that enables authorities to operate without resorting to militarized strategies, which, as demonstrated over the years, have consistently proven ineffective for both the safety of police officers and the civilian population of the favelas. Drawing on an analysis of the large-scale police operation carried out on October 28, 2025, in the Latin American metropolis, this article aims to offer a critical reflection on intervention strategies in areas controlled by armed groups, highlighting their limitations, social impacts, and the need for structural reform.
