Punishment, authority and political economy

Italian challenges to western punitiveness

Bibliographic Data

ID12664321
AuthorsZelia Gallo (0000-0002-3073-7893, King's College London, corresponding author), Zelia A Gallo (King's College London)
Year2015
Volume17
Issue5
Pages598-623
Publication date2015-11-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePunishment & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1462-4745 • E-ISSN: 1741-3095
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1462474515615695
OpenAlexW2337782486
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited65

This article explores the challenges that Italy poses for existing analyses of western punishment. These ‘challenges’ are visible at the penal level and in relation to the variables used to explain contemporary penal trends. In this article I argue that Italian penality cannot be understood in terms of unequivocal ‘punitiveness’ or unequivocal ‘moderation’. Italian trends betray a co-existence and alternation of repression and leniency, whose incidence I trace in penal reform and legislation. I explore the issue of waning state sovereignty and its presumed contribution to increasing punitiveness, explaining why the evolution of the Italian state does not fit this narrative. I argue that Italy is a contested state, whose penal law can be sidelined by the informal norms with which it co-exists. I also ask whether Italian penality can be explained by reference to political economy. I argue that Italy’s hybrid political economy challenges the methodological approach that predicts punitiveness or moderation by reference to political economic evolution. I conclude by explaining why politics – political dynamics, institutions and culture – is the key organizing principle with which to systematize contemporary Italian penality. I argue that political dynamics should likewise be reconsidered by, and integrated into, existing analyses of western punishment

Criminology · Moderation · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Punishment (psychology · Sociology · Sovereignty · State (computer science · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Law · Law, Economics, and Judicial Systems · Psychology · Social Psychology

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