No. 2 (2026)
The new frontiers of urban security

2/2026

Urban (In)Security and Marginality: Romani Women between Social Control and Welfare Needs.

Published 2026-11-03

  • Benedetta Turco

Benedetta Turco
Università di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale

Abstract

The contribution stems from a reflection focused on petty crime among Rom women, building on the PRIN research project “Cambiare,” which centers on motherhood in detention. Its aim is to analyze the nexus between urban security, mechanisms of criminalization, and socio-legal policies, within which Rom women represent a crucial juncture between control and welfare. From an intersectional perspective, property-related offenses committed within the empirical field under examination are defined through a socio-institutional construction of threat shaped by processes of labeling. The article seeks to highlight how the model of alternative measures to detention may foster a move beyond securitarian approaches and constitute a form of welfare capable of enabling the Rom community to move out of marginalizing and deviant dynamics.

Keywords

insecurity; marginality; Romani communities; welfare; detention; alternative measures.

PDF (Italian)

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