I'm still fairly new to Italy and I know that situations can vary wildly from region to region but I was just curious to hear from other people on this forum about their perspectives on the criminal justice system, both in general and how it relates to this situation. On the whole, Italy seems to be a much less violent place than the United States. In Venice, where I live, there are very few violent crimes committed each year and murders are extremely rare. I feel completely safe walking the streets alone at night, a feeling I rarely had living in the States. I know that Mafia and other homegrown violence does exist in this country but, on the whole, it seems to be a much less violent and gun-oriented society. I'm not exactly sure what this can be attributed to--maybe it's partially a result of having generally strong family units and communities and children that continue to live with their parents well into adulthood. I suppose it's more difficult to commit more serious crimes when you're more deeply rooted to your home and community.

What's been really surprising to me, however, is the generally laxity of the criminal justice system here--people committing serious crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping serving only a few years in jail. I've also been surprised at how much difficulty the system seems to have deporting foreign nationals who are convicted of serious crimes. I've heard that people are sometimes issued deportation notices telling them to leave and the situation is never followed up on by law enforcement officials.

My main question is, that as the country moves forward and, with Italy's changing demographics, do you think that it's necessary for the country to adopt different procedures regarding their criminal justice system? With the European Union, Italy has begun to experience an unprecedented influx of immigration that is rapidly changing the country's previously homogenous face. Naturally, most of the new immigrants are hard-working, law-abiding citizens, some are not. And while some immigrants come over to the country with families and other ties to their countries of origin, some do not arrive greeted by ready-made communities that hold them accountable for their actions. With Italy's reputation as a place that is 'soft on crime' do you think the country is heading for trouble? Could the country be attracting, along with many good people seeking a better life, others who are looking for a place where they can more easily get into trouble without fear of serious repercussions? Is it possible that a criminal justice system that may have adequately (I am by no means insisting that things have ever been perfect here) dealt with crime in the past is no longer up to snuff?

While I admit all of the crime I've personally witnessed around Venice has been petty (unlicensed peddlers, picketpocketers, etc.), the blind eye that's cast on these crimes is startling. Many of these crimes are committed in the same places day after day and there appears to be absolutely no intervention on the part of the police. Surely, if I know where petty criminals have established their territory, the police must also know but choose to ignore it. It makes me sad because this is the impression that many foreign tourists get of our beautiful city and it also makes me wonder how aggressively more serious crime is pursued--crimes where the general public actually is in physical danger such as the recent home invasion and robbery just a few minutes from my home, a crime that was clearly premeditated, surprisingly violent and way too close to home for my comfort. If the city is not capable of handling small problems, how can it possibly be equipped to deal with more serious ones like this? I came to this country with a liberal outlook and as a person who was reasonably unaware of the many differences that exist between it and the U.S. In some cases I have been pleasantly surprised by the differences I've encountered and, in other cases, I've been shocked by things that, from my perspective, seem to defy common sense. But what really worries me, is that some of the small-scale problems I've witnessed could turn into much more serious ones if they're not dealt with quickly and fairly. And while I don't advocate the sometimes hardline law enforcement tactics utilized in the U.S., it seems to me that the solution lies somewhere in the middle.

I've had conversations with some of my Italian students about this issue and was actually quite surprised that they predict very difficult times ahead for the country. Several of them have said that, while they don't agree with some of the United States' policies related to crime and punishment, they do feel that Italy can learn something from both the positive and negatives aspects of the U.S. system. I'm very interested to hear the perspectives of other expats, especially those who have been living here for a while.

Wasn't this already posted here:
http://expattalk.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/3450007353/...420015425#4420015425

quote:

Originally posted by Bill 2:
Wasn't this already posted here:
http://expattalk.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/3450007353/...420015425#4420015425

Yes it was and it has quite a few responses! It appears to be a duplicate post. If it wasn't so late here I'd try to figure out how to get rid of it.

To heck with it- get some sleep!
PS- did it ever warm up any there? That's too cold!

I think it was reposted because hardly anybody had written anything at all relevant about it after it'd first been posted. People just started waffling on about admittedly burning issues such as the unspeakable horror of being mistaken for a Slav. And then it got even further afield with diatribes about watches, insensitive jewelers and such.

Either way, a duplicate post is a duplicate post. I'll close this.

Thanks,
T