CO.S.Mi is an eight-month project funded by the Italian Department of Juvenile Justice that explores the impact of prejudice and discrimination on foreign minors, especially in relation to stereotypes linking them with crime, followed by an assessment of how social communication techniques are and can be used to increase awareness and reduce the level of prejudice and discrimination directed towards foreign minors. The focus on this topic is in part a response to repeated calls by the European Union for Member States to adopt policies that support the integration of immigrants and in part a recognition of the particularly difficult situation in which foreign minors find themselves. Evidence indicates that the current social context in many EU Member States tends to be increasingly intolerant of immigrants; within this context foreigners are frequently equated with crime and foreign minors may be particularly vulnerable to stereotypes, prejudice and various forms of discrimination both within the broader community and within the criminal and juvenile justice systems.
Social communication is seen as potentially powerful instrument for addressing and preventing prejudice and discrimination. This applies not only to altering media depictions of foreign minors (or foreigners in general) in relation to criminality, but also working on changing the attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs of individuals. At the same time, social communication can be applied within the juvenile justice system to prevent and reduce discriminatory behaviour and actions, whether individual or structural, to help guarantee equal treatment and the safeguarding of the best interests of the child for all minors that come into contact with the juvenile justice system.
- Promotion of integration forms for the juveniles offenders against forms of labelling;
- Creation of synergies among the Departments of Juvenile Justice;
- Promotion of exchange among different stakeholders on two main themes:
a) social communication in relation to foreign juvenile offenders coming primarily to Third Countries;
b) the involvement of mass media;
- Definition of Recommendations on social communication and foreign minors in the juvenile justice system.
The activities will contribute to the creation of a topic-specific network with a solid working group interested in continuing to work on the topic. The data and information collected from the various activities will be utilised for the writing of a Vademecum on social communication and foreign minors in the juvenile justice system. The project will conclude with a final conference in Rome that foresees the participation of representatives from all 27 Member States.
CO.S.Mi is coordinated by the Psychoanalytic Institute for Social Research in partnership with the Don Calabria Institute-Casa San Benedetto.
The Italian Department of Juvenile Justice is actively involved in all project activities.
Countries/Departments/NGos involved:
Department for Juvenile Justice:
1. Greece – Special Therapeutic Detention Facilities of Greek Ministry of Justice;
2. Estonia – Regional Department for Juvenile Justice (Tallinn);
3. Spain - Office for Penal Measures Execution (JJD).
NGO’s cooperation:
a) United Kingdom – Pupil Parent Partnership in contact with Youth Justice Board (JJD);
b) Germany - Christian Association of Youth Villages;
c) Belgium – International Observatory for Juvenile Justice.