When observing the modern world, there appears to be a multi-level challenge to the fundamental principle that the taking of life is the ultimate antisocial act. Eighty years after WWII, national and global politics and international organisations are again confronted with circumstances of extraordinary magnitude, like migration or war, and they seem to be collectively failing in addressing the issues with coherence, thus changing the shape of societies in dramatic ways. By analysing news and legal cases, this work considers the inconsistent institutional approaches towards the social imperative not to kill, in order to discuss their consequences in terms of life-expectancies of societies, of identification of deviants, victims and offenders, and ultimately, of the relationship between power, thus moral entrepreneurs, and principle.
Il contributo propone un riesame della labelling theory al fine di interpretare gli algoritmi di moderazione delle piattaforme video come attori classificatori che, attraverso pratiche di etichettamento automatizzato, contribuiscono alla produzione di outsider digitali. Integrando critical algorithm studies, studi sulla governance delle piattaforme e teoria sociologica classica, il lavoro mette in relazione questo quadro teorico con evidenze empiriche riguardanti YouTube, TikTok e Douyin, con particolare riferimento alla marginalizzazione algoritmica di minoranze LGBTQ+, persone con disabilità e gruppi etnici. L’analisi suggerisce che tali sistemi possano configurare forme specifiche di controllo sociale caratterizzate da elevata scala operativa, opacità strutturale e pratiche riconducibili a ciò che la letteratura definisce algorithmic camouflage. In questa prospettiva, le scelte distributive incorporate nei sistemi di moderazione tendono a presentarsi come esiti tecnici piuttosto che come decisioni normative. Il contributo applica sistematicamente la labelling theory ai contesti digitali, introducendo le nozioni di devianza primaria e secondaria algoritmica. Sulla base della letteratura esaminata, si propone di interpretare le piattaforme come dispositivi di stratificazione che possono contribuire all’amplificazione di disuguaglianze attraverso processi opachi e difficilmente contestabili.
L’articolo presenta una ricerca volta ad indagare le narrazioni diffuse online attorno alla violenza filioparentale (VFP) nel contesto italiano. Lo studio consiste in una netnografia condotta sul Q&A forum Quora. I threads mostrano che la piattaforma, grazie all’anonimato, favorisce la condivisione di esperienze di violenza subita dai genitori da parte dei propri figli; tuttavia, tali narrazioni vengono spesso accolte da commenti moralizzanti, minimizzanti, accusatori o svalutanti. Le risposte degli utenti attivano forme di vittimizzazione secondaria e meccanismi di stigmatizzazione che rovesciano il posizionamento dei genitori, trasformandoli da vittime a responsabili della violenza subita. Gli utenti agiscono in tal senso come imprenditori morali, semplificando il fenomeno e delegittimando vissuti complessi. La ricerca evidenzia la necessità di progettare spazi digitali formativi e gruppi di supporto online capaci di offrire riconoscimento e prevenzione della VFP.
This study uses Howard Becker’s “Outsiders” as a theoretical lens, to examine juvenile deviance, as presented in the Greek online press, not as an inherent phenomenon but as a social construction resulted by labeling and rule-making processes driven by political and institutional actors. Thematic analysis and systematic coding of 450 articles, of which 35 labeled as expert opinions, highlights recurring patterns and discursive strategies that contribute to a moral crusade and indicate the relations in this process between media, experts, and state. The findings raise concerns about selective rule-setting, the construction of minors as a marginalized group, and the mechanisms through which the status quo and social reactions to deviance are maintained.
This article examines the Luigi Mangione phenomenon as a contemporary test case for classical labelling theory. Drawing on Howard S. Becker’s framework, it argues that the case reveals a shift from criminalization to sanctification, and more broadly from a process of deviance construction initiated institutionally to forms of symbolic resistance emerging from below. Rather than producing a stable and unidirectional stigma, the public construction of Mangione developed through a fragmented social reaction across mainstream news, social media, memes, street art, and commercial merchandise. Within this fragmented field, the article identifies three main mechanisms through which the deviant label was destabilized: sanctification, sexualization, and anti-capitalist recoding. Methodologically, the article is based on a qualitative multi-modal analysis of news articles, social media posts, memes,and visual artifacts collected between 4 December 2024 and 31 March 2025. It shows how, in important sectors of digital publics, Mangione was re-authored as saint, martyr, folk hero, sex object, and anti-corporate symbol. On this basis, the article proposes the concept of ‘inverted labelling’, referring to situations in which institutional actors such as legal authorities and mainstream media seek to fix deviance onto an individual subject, while networked publics partially redirect moral blame toward broader structures of power and systemic harm.
Raccogliendo l’invito di Joseph W. Schneider, questo contributo teorico intende rivitalizzare lo studio dei problemi sociali, mettendo in dialogo questa tradizione con il new materialism. Partendo dal contributo fondativo di Howard S. Becker e dal dibattito sollevato da Malcolm Spector e John Kitsuse, si sottolinea l’importanza di non limitare l’analisi sociologica ai processi di significazione, ma di considerare i problemi sociali anche come fenomeni più-che-umani, cioè risultati di assemblaggi socio-materiali che coinvolgono attori umani e non umani. Per ancorare empiricamente l’argomentazione teorica, il contributo si avvale di due studi di caso sulle scene aperte del consumo di alcol e altre droghe: il ‘Boschetto della Droga’ di Milano-Rogoredo e la piazza della (mala)movida di Largo Saluzzo a Torino. L’analisi rivela come le definizioni securitarie applicate a questi contesti si inscrivano materialmente nello spazio attraverso dispositivi di controllo, infrastrutture e interventi di trasformazione urbana che, lungi dal limitarsi a riflettere un discorso,ne amplificano gli effetti e generano nuove forme di vulnerabilità. In conclusione, il testo sostiene la necessità di un quadro analitico integrato, capace di rendere conto dell’intreccio tra significati e materialità nello studio e nel governo dei fenomeni AOD-correlati.
Il contributo analizza l’accesso alla salute ginecologica da parte delle persone LGBTQI+ come un processo di produzione sociale della devianza. Attraverso la rilettura dei dati di una ricerca quantitativa condotta in Italia nel 2023 su 1.078 partecipanti, si mostra come protocolli medici, pratiche amministrative, linguaggi clinici e modelli formativi incorporino un’idea implicita di corpo femminile cisgenere ed eterosessuale. In questa prospettiva, la devianza non è un reato ma una differenza che eccede la norma sanitaria: corpi lesbici, trans, non binari o non riproduttivi diventano “imprevisti”, marginali o problematici per il sistema clinico. Il paradigma del labelling di Becker permette di interpretare personale sanitario, linee guida e istituzioni sanitarie come rule enforcers e moral entrepreneurs. Emergono tuttavia anche pratiche di resistenza, agency e negoziazione che ridefiniscono i confini di ciò che viene riconosciuto come corpo curabile.
La costruzione teorica interazionista che Howard Becker ha tracciato in Outsiders, sebbene fondata sull’osservazione empirica della “devianza”, ha dimostrato la capacità di fungere da ispirazione per intere tradizioni socio-criminologiche. Nel presente contributo, si approfondisce la possibilità di emancipare la costruzione interazionista dai confini della devianza attraverso un dialogo tra le riflessioni di Becker, il dibattito socio-giuridico sul concetto di “cultura giuridica” e la “teoria dei campi” di Pierre Bourdieu. A tal fine, si intende supportare l’elaborazione con un’analisi qualitativa di interviste svolte nell’ambito di una ricerca sulla giustizia riparativa e sui mediatori penali così come istituzionalizzati nel contesto italiano dalla “disciplina organica” contenuta nel d.lgs. n. 150 del 2022. A nostro avviso, da un simile elaborazione emerge come i concetti di outsider e insider possano essere applicati proficuamente al fine di approfondire la conoscenza socio-giuridica delle linee di confine tra culture giuridiche e campi in contesti sociali caratterizzati da pluralismo e interlegalità.
L’articolo propone una rilettura femminista della labeling theory di Howard S. Becker, mettendo in luce il potere sessuato di nominare e definire la devianza. Il contributo mostra come l’etichettamento delle donne non derivi da comportamenti criminali ma dalla trasgressione delle norme sociali di genere. Le figure della “madre inadeguata”, della “vittima non credibile” e della “donna migrante” incarnano forme contemporanee di costruzione sociale dell’outsider determinata dal sesso e dal genere. L’analisi dei casi Scuderoni c. Italia e A.I. c. Italia della Corte EDU rivela la persistenza di una devianza prodotta dalle istituzioni, che trasforma la richiesta di giustizia in un processo di vittimizzazione secondaria. La svolta femminista della teoria dell’etichettamento dischiude e consente così una critica politica del sapere giuridico e dei suoi dispositivi di normalizzazione.
Substance addiction issues among incarcerated individuals in correctional facilities in Greece and abroad are notably prevalent. Addiction is generally addressed within correctional systems as a pathology with biological, social, psychological, ideological, cultural, economic, and other dimensions. Beyond this, addiction is deeply intertwined with the disciplinary process and the reintegration of prisoners. This involves a range of issues. In particular, it involves not only the cessation of substance use but also the modification of addictive behaviors through education. To achieve this goal, adopting a socially acceptable system of values and life skills through strong and oriented education appears to be crucial. The purpose of this case study (conducted as part of postdoctoral research) was to examine the views of 47 incarcerated individuals who participated in the therapeutic community program of KETHEA en DRASI during the research period regarding therapeutic correctional education programs. The data were analyzed using questionnaires and inductive coding processes to categorize relevant perceptions. According to the study's findings, participation in therapeutic and educational programs simultaneously achieves control and treatment of addictions and educates participants in the cultivation of life skills necessary for their social, educational, and professional reintegration.
The Cartabia’s reform, within the Title IV on restorative justice, will serve as a testing ground for this model of justice to suit its different versions, as a true Copernican revolution for the criminal justice system because this would challenge the theories of punishment. Within the context of the criminal proceedings reform, the challenge for justice will be to repair the crimes. This article serves to develop contents to answer these questions: which crimes? Which choice should be done to guarantee the best interest of the victims to avoid the risks of secondary victimization?
This study aims to analyze the barriers to care and prevention of sexual violence against women in Abidjan, hypothesizing that socio-economic, cultural, and institutional factors limit the effectiveness of current measures. Using a qualitative methodology, based on the analysis of archives from five local associations specialized in victim support, the study draws on the theory of structural violence to highlight the power dynamics at play. The results reveal that situational prevention, though promising, is not sufficiently integrated into public policies. The study suggests ways to improve coordination between institutional actors and associations to strengthen prevention and victim support measures.
This paper offers a brief examination of the money transfer method typically used in the African and Asian continents and in Islamic communities called hawāla whose constituent elements - tradition, trust and honor - make a credit instrument unique from a cultural perspective, even before a criminal one. The interesting fact is that the arsenal available to the police and the judicial authorities in the matter of combating money laundering could, however, prove almost inhibited in front of a mechanism so rudimentary as to be - paradoxically - much more efficient than more refined or technologically advanced money transfer systems.
Using the questions proposed by the criminological theory of the labelling theory, we propose to investigate the legislative processes that modified the criminal types of Title VI of the Brazilian Penal Code on crimes against sexual dignity, as well as the behavior of the agents behind the creation of the laws (deputies and senators), the investigation (police officers) and the trial (magistrates). To this end, we gave a brief overview of the labelling theory. Afterwards, we dealt with the legislative movements and institutional dialogues that removed the term “honest woman” and terms alluding to female virginity to increase protection and mitigate the stigmatization of people who have suffered sexual violence. Finally, we consider the consequences of Brazilian laws in cases of sexual violence. We noticed that despite the various legislative changes, the moral logic contained in the Explanatory Memorandum of the Brazilian Penal Code of 1940 remains: sexual crimes are offenses against honor, the honesty of families and public decency, and the offense against women's sexual dignity is relegated to the background.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of violence against women and includes physical, sexual, emotional abuse and controlling behavior by an intimate partner. Through a careful analysis of the phenomenon, it is possible to detect the real criminogenic diriment of the perpetrator-victim relationship within the motivations that led to the crime and, through them, the psychological and functional characteristics of the abuser, can be identified. What makes the recognition of an aggressive personality most difficult is the moment of its explicit manifestation, which often takes place at an advanced stage of the relationship, when mutual investments have increased, and ties are more difficult to break. In most cases, however, violent behavior does not arise suddenly but has been heralded by a series of overt and covert attitudes with a nonnegligible predictive value. Although it is not possible to identify a prototypical psycho(patho)logical profile of the abusive partner, against whom in the vast majority of cases it is not possible to find a defined clinical condition, nevertheless it seems possible to detect in the IPV perpetrators a common denominator that feeds a “perverse” dimension of the interpersonal relationship in which, that is, it is possible to identify a distortion of the functioning of “object relations”, followed by problems in the formation of the ego and with the structuring of pathological forms of attachment that, by preventing the processing of abandonment issues, may also cause violent behaviors. This article aims to analyze the pathways that lead to the structuring of the psycho(patholo)gic configurations most frequently found in abusive individuals not only to better understand the phenomenon of IPV, but also to outline appropriate preventive actions.
Violenza sessuale e femminicidio: un profilo criminale Sexual violence and feminicide: an offender profiling a cura di Augusto Balloni pag.14 Personnalité, caractère et tempérament : une source explicative d'une posture victimaire des femmes sous emprise conjugale ?Personality and temperament: are they an explanatory source of a victim posture in women under relationship control?di Sarah El Guendi pag.36
For more than forty years, Spain has been confronted with internal terrorism, of an ethno-nationalist nature, deployed by the terrorist organization ETA. Their armed struggle, which caused more than 850 fatalities, had as its objective the independence of the Basque Country, Navarre, as well as a part of the so-called French Basque Country. It was especially during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s when the police forces deployed in the so-called “Northern Zone” were exposed not only to the possibility of suffering a terrorist attack, but also to the rejection and animosity of a large part of the Basque a Navarrese population, which considered the police as an “occupation force”. This gave rise to the concept of “Northern Syndrome”, which referred, above all, to the psychological consequences that this omnipresent terror and rejection in their daily lives produced in both the police officers and their families. Based on these considerations, the objective of the present work is to analyse said psycho-pathological construct. To this end, the author of this paper has conducted a total of 25 interviews with police officers and relatives who were stationed in the Basque Country and Navarra during the so-called “years of lead”. As will be seen, practically all of the individuals interviewed affirm not only the existence of said Syndrome, but also having suffered from it during their stay in the North and, in some cases, also currently.
The lack of adequate regulation in the art market, combined with the frequent complexities in verifying the exact provenance and authenticity of artworks and antiquities, intensifies with alarming frequency a long series of risk factors associated with cultural heritage, from illicit excavation and looting to forgeries and unlawful imports that originate from the artistically and archaeologically richest countries, reaching – following numerous cross-border passages – up to Western markets. The article analyzes the main criminological characteristics of this phenomenon, assessing how some market operators usually play the role of interfaces between the legal and illegal domains. Providing criminal networks free access to the sale of illicitly stolen goods, contributing to attributing them a false origin and, consequently, high profitability, these actors can foster fraudulent schemes disguised as sales operations.
