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.
Concepts and conditions of penal moderation: Penal policy, public philosophy, and political ideologies
The article explores the concept of penal moderation and the conditions for its development in contemporary democracies. Drawing on the Italian case, it highlights the structural and political limits to building less punitive and more publicly grounded penal policies.
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.
Festival of Criminal Justice
The Festival of Criminal Justice is a cultural and academic event dedicated to promoting knowledge of issues related to criminal law and criminal procedure. The 2026 edition, the seventh of the festival, will take place from 14 to 17 May in several cities in the province of Modena, including Modena, Carpi, Sassuolo, Mirandola, Formigine, and Pavullo nel Frignano.
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.
Admission applications now open for the Cesare Beccaria PhD Programme in Legal Sciences
The call for applications for the Cesare Beccaria PhD Programme in Legal Sciences (a.y. 2026/2027) at the University of Milan is now open.
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.
‘I sit somewhere in that sort of sweet spot’: Liminal legitimacy in criminal justice practice
The article explores the role of lived experience professionals in building trust and legitimacy in criminal justice, introducing the concept of “liminal legitimacy”. It shows how lived experience operates as both a relational resource and a fragile position within disciplinary systems.
National Study Day “Punishing Young People”
Registrations are now open for the National Study Day “Punishing Young People”, taking place on Friday, May 22, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Padua Correctional Facility.
Jailization: Entering the lobby to the US criminal legal system
The article introduces the concept of jailization to explain how local jail detention operates as an entry point into the US criminal legal system. It shows how even short-term confinement can produce enduring structural effects in processes of criminalization.