The ‘Normality’ of ‘Second Generations’ in Italy and the Importance of Legal Status: A Self-Report Delinquency Study.

This paper is a critical analysis of the relation between immigration and crime/criminalisation in Italy, with particular reference to “second-generation” immigrants enrolled in the eighth grade of a sample of junior high schools in Bologna (Italy). The paper investigates whether – after allowing for differences in sex, social class, and other relevant variables – significant differences in self-reported deviance would emerge between second-generation immigrants and Italians. The research draws on three major criminological theories about deviant behavior: social control theory, labeling approach, and culture conflict theory. The study has been conducted as a self-report survey of a sample of 335 students enrolled in the 8th grade of 4 junior high schools in the metropolitan area of Bologna (Italy). Respondents were administered a questionnaire in the classroom, and asked to answer questions focusing on socio-biographical factors, socio-economic conditions, value-orientation, and self-reported deviant behaviors. Regression analysis was conducted on the data, and an interpretative model was developed based on the findings. The research offers no evidence of a higher frequency or seriousness of self-reported deviance among young “second-generation” immigrants compared to Italians. The findings suggest that – both for Italian and immigrant respondents – self-reported deviant behaviors appear to be strongly correlated with cultural/generational conflict, the perception of stigma, and weak family bonds. The paper offers an original contribution to scholarly research about migration and crime/criminalisation. More specifically, it supports those criminological studies which deny any role of migration or national origin in the etiology of criminal behaviors.