NCJ Number
80454
Journal
Questione Criminale Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: (January-April 1980) Pages: 131-154
Date Published
1980
Length
24 pages
Annotation
The high increase in crime in Naples and the surrounding province of Campania in the early 1970's, contrasted to that of Milan and its Province of Lombardy, is seen as related to higher levels of unemployment in the south, particularly among youth.
Abstract
A correlation of statistics on levels of employment and unemployment for the two regions, as well as levels of reported crime, indicates that crime in the Italian south is being committed by an increasingly younger population who commit primarily theft and other property crimes. For instance, in Campania the proportion of thefts committed by 14- to 17-year-olds jumped from 7.8 percent in 1969 to 23.3 percent in 1973. During that period the south of Italy offered fewer employment opportunities than the north, particularly for those seeking their first jobs. The percentage of employed persons in Campania dropped from 37 percent to 30 percent between 1961 and 1971, for instance. In the south, the percentage of workers seeking their first jobs tripled in the years 1965-1980, whereas it remained stable in the central and northern regions. Further, the economic causes of crime in these regions are made more plausible by a documented increase in property crimes rather than in crimes against persons for the same period. The disproportionate rise in youthful crime in Naples and surrounding area is seen to be a function of an unfavorable labor market, an increase in families with reduced income who send their young members out to steal, loss of economic and social stability due to emigration of workers to the north, and disproportionate growth in the adolescent population. It is concluded that repressive measures against crime will fail if they are not accompanied by political action to increase work opportunities. Statistical data and about 20 references are provided.