Educational poverty and juvenile risk: phenomenology of a social crime

Abstract

Economic Poverty is often the cause of Educational Poverty. The present paper, through the comparative analysis of statistical sources, sociological investigations and institutional documents, try to underline the close relationship between educational poverty and violent juvenile crime. The analysis of the baby gang case in the city of Naples shows how policies that focus exclusively on repressive interventions of criminal phenomena do not get the desired results. The fight against violent crime requires a balanced combination of social and educational policies that can accompany the judicial and repressive offensive. The institutional agendas, that neglect integrated social support and transformative education interventions, produce short-term results and are guilty of a social crime capable of progressively poisoning urban contexts.

Keywords: educational poverty, violence, risk prevention, juvenile crime, educational responsibility