Protective and risk factors in criminal development of youths

Antisocial behavior in adolescence could be influenced by multiple factors. Developmental psychology and criminology mostly evaluated the influence of family, social, individual and environmental characteristics in aggressive and antisocial conduct. The tendency to assume such attitudes is widespread in adolescence and sometimes predicts delinquency. In Italy it is estimated that seven teenagers (14-18 years old) out of ten commit crimes and are involved in criminal justice system. The most diffuse offences among youths are property crimes and violent crimes, often related to a specific background of belonging. Nevertheless, not all adolescents behave in a transgressive or antisocial way, and not all young people involved in justice have the same characteristics. This dissertation aims to provide a general overview on juvenile criminality in Italy. It is divided in three chapters. The first part shows the main multifactorial theories of crime; the second part illustrates the types of crimes, life condition in Youth Detention Centers and the social rehabilitation programs adopted to prevent recidivism. Finally, the last part is dedicated to the research, divided in three studies: (1) analyzes the background of youths justice involved and their life condition in Youth Detention Centers; (2) investigates the influence of family factors in aggressive and antisocial conducts of high schools adolescents; (3) compares risk and protective factors of two groups: high school students and youths involved in criminal justice system, in order to investigate similitudes and differences and to promote interventions and prevention programs.