Italy's Council of Ministers has approved a new security decree that extends precautionary police detention to under-18s and holds parents financially liable for damage caused by their children during public disorder, Corriere Roma reports. The measure follows street violence in Milan and other cities, where clashes and vandalism broke out during demonstrations.
According to Corriere Roma, the package covers both criminal and administrative ground: a new offence of violent participation in a public demonstration, longer preventive stops for minors, a presumption of criminal responsibility from age 14, and payment orders sent to parents or other adults responsible for a minor.
Why it matters
The decree reaches into territory Italian law has long treated cautiously: how young people are stopped, charged and made to pay. Extending preventive detention to minors and shifting the presumption on imputability mark a significant change in approach, and the parental liability provisions give prefects a direct financial tool against families.
The timing is tied to the unrest. Corriere Roma quoted young people involved in the Milan clashes describing how they were drawn in: a chat acted as bait, with messages telling them to come along because shop windows would be smashed and they would get hoodies and shoes. That account — reported by the paper, not verified independently here — frames the decree as a response to organised groups recruiting minors into disorder.
What the decree changes
Detention. The decree extends the rules on preventive police detention — known in Italian law as fermo di prevenzione — to people under 18. It applies during specific police operations aimed at preventing crimes that disturb public order in places with heavy foot traffic, such as nightlife districts. Detention can run from 12 to 24 hours. It requires a well-founded reason to believe the person poses a danger to public safety, judged on the circumstances of time and place and on factual elements — for example, carrying weapons or objects capable of causing harm, wearing helmets or using items that make identification difficult, or drug-related reports.
A new offence. The decree introduces the crime of violent participation in a demonstration, applicable to minors as well. Corriere Roma reports penalties of up to five years in prison and a €20,000 fine, increased where the person acted with their face covered or where the conduct caused injury.
Imputability. A provision already contained in a bill awaiting parliamentary approval is applied immediately. It amends Article 98 of the Criminal Code to create a rebuttable presumption that a person who was at least 14 and under 18 at the time of the act was capable of understanding and willing. Capacity would no longer be assessed case by case; it would be presumed unless evidence gathered in proceedings shows the minor lacked it at the time.
Parental liability. Where a minor causes damage during a public demonstration, the claim can be brought against parents or other adults with responsibility for the child. For damage to public property, the prefect for the province sends a payment order to the minor's home address. For damage to private property, the injured party applies to a judge for an enforceable injunction.
Administrative fines. Where a minor — including one under 14 and therefore not imputable — takes part in violent crimes against people or property committed in the presence of several people, including at public events, or in aggravated damage, the prefect can fine the person exercising parental responsibility between €500 and €1,000, unless they show they could not have prevented the act. For repeated conduct the fine rises to between €1,000 and €2,000. The same order can require payment of compensation for damage to property belonging to the State, regions or local authorities. A private party who suffered damage can seek an injunction based on the prefect's order and the documents behind it.
Assembly bans. Where five or more people, including as a group, behave intimidatorily, seriously harass or act violently against people or property in a public place or place open to the public, the police chief (questore) can issue a formal warning barring the person from gathering with one or more others. This can cover minors who have reached 14. The ban can apply to specified public places or areas, including during set hours, and to people already subject to preventive measures — such as a formal warning, a mandatory return order, or the various urban exclusion orders — or previously convicted of crimes against people or property committed in public.
Arrest. Police officers and judicial police agents gain the option of a discretionary arrest in cases of deferred flagrancy for the new offence of damage committed by an organised group, and for devastation and looting, attacks on public utility installations, and violent participation in public demonstrations.
A political fight on two fronts
The decree was not the only security question before the government this week. Corriere Roma also reported a standoff over giving police powers to military personnel deployed on public order duties, which ended with the Quirinale blocking the move. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said he was "disappointed and worried," according to the paper.
Separately, the government assigned another 500 soldiers to Operation Strade Sicure, strengthening a deployment that has divided the majority, Il Sole 24 ORE reported.
The Corriere Roma article on the decree was by Adriana Logroscino; the report on the military police powers was by Simone Canettieri and Monica Guerzoni.
What to watch
The decree now moves into implementation, with the imputability change taking effect through the existing bill. Watch how prefects use the new fine and payment-order powers in the coming weeks, and whether the parliamentary path for the broader juvenile justice bill runs into opposition.
