The growth in the last few years of minors reported by the police to the judicial authority for mafia-type associations is worrying (+ 93.8%): they were 49 in 2014, and 95 in 2018. A figure that clashes with the drop in the others crimes: between 2014 and 2018, reports of crimes committed by minors decreased by 8.3%, going from over 33,300 to 30,600. Voluntary (-46.6%) and negligent (-45.4%), kidnappings (-17.2%), thefts (-14.03%), robberies (-3.9 %) and the criminal association (-82.5%). This is what emerges from Antigone's report on juvenile penal institutions, entitled, citing Fabrizio De André, 'Healing cherry trees'.
In 2017, 36,416 minors were prosecuted, but the prosecutor requested the indictment in 37% of cases. In general, the juvenile defendants are 70% Italian and 30% foreign. Over 84% are male and less than 16% are female. 40% of the Italian defendants were born in Northern Italy (21% in the North-West and 18% in the North-East), 25% in the South, 19% in Central Italy and 16% in the Islands. In the first half of 2019, there were 2,382 trial measures, which is not only an alternative to prison, but to the same process, which is suspended during the measure. If the test is successful, the crime will be declared extinct at its conclusion. (HANDLE).