Overview
- An official preview from Save the Children, produced with the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Interior Ministry’s Criminal Analysis Service, documents a growing circulation of improvised weapons among minors.
- Reported cases rose from 778 in 2019 to 1,946 in 2024, with 1,096 recorded in the first half of 2025, indicating the upward trend persisted into last year.
- Items classified as improvised weapons include knives, knuckle-dusters, bats, chains and electric stun devices, according to the research.
- Italy’s rate of minors in contact with the justice system edged up from 329 per 100,000 in 2014 to 363 in 2023, remaining far below levels reported in countries such as Germany, France and Austria.
- Following the fatal school stabbing in La Spezia, national school leaders led by Attilio Fratta support installing metal detectors, while Save the Children urges a non-instrumental debate that puts youth issues at the center of the political agenda.