Police and Youth with Migrant Backgrounds in the San Siro District of Milan
As part of the “Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale” (PRIN), funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research through Next Generation EU funds, a research project titled “Police and Social Change: The Challenges of Gender and Ethnicity in Contemporary Italy” is being conducted by the Universities of Bologna, Milan, and Bari. This two-year initiative, set to conclude in September 2025, aims to explore how police institutions are responding to the social changes arising from the growing diversity in Italian society.
The Milan Research Unit, coordinated by Roberto Cornelli, Professor of Criminology at the Department of Legal Sciences “Cesare Beccaria” and Director of CRIMePO – Criminology and Public Policy Research Centre, focuses on the San Siro neighborhood of Milan. The research investigates the relationships between second-generation adolescents and/or those with migrant backgrounds and police institutions.
Building on international and European research that highlights the often problematic relationships between migrant or minority youth and police agencies – both in everyday encounters and in social perceptions – this project seeks to address the risks of fostering oppositional, deviant, and discriminatory dynamics, as well as processes of hyper-criminalization. The Research Unit aims to:
- Understand how, in an Italian context characterized by a significant presence of second-generation adolescents and/or youth with a migration background, police officers and operators approach their work on a daily basis in response to changes in the ethnic and generational composition of the population.
- Analyze the experiences, attitudes, and imaginaries (shaped by perceptions, representations, and expectations) of second-generation adolescents and/or those with a migration background toward control institutions.
In this way, the research seeks to contribute to expanding knowledge about policing practices in challenging contexts and, more broadly, about the legitimacy foundations of control institutions in societies undergoing rapid social change.
The expectation is that the research findings, through ongoing dialogue with institutional agencies, will stimulate reflection on the actions needed to enhance the police’s capacity to address the new social demands arising from the presence of second-generation adolescents and/or those with a migration background.
