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Italian minors legal reforms

Updated 6 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-07-27 09:39 UTC → 2026-07-28 10:52 UTC · added removed

In early July 2026 Italy passed enacted the “Liberi di scegliere” law extending expanding protection for minors linked to organised crime. On 23 July the Meloni cabinet approved the “anti‑maranza” amendment to article 98 of the Penal Code, keeping the minimum age of criminal responsibility at 14 years but introducing creating a statutory presumption that persons aged 14‑18 possess the intent and will required for criminal liability. The amendment reverses the prior rule that a judge had to establish a minor’s lack of capacity; instead presumption shifts the burden of proof shifts to the defence, although the presumption though it can be rebutted with evidence. rebutted. The Council of Ministers gave final approval on 23 July, framing the change as an “anti‑maraña” or anti‑baby‑gang measure. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed that wrongdoing must be punished regardless of age, and Minister Matteo Salvini added that minors cannot hide behind their age. Opposition parties and legal scholars warned that the reform is punitive and may undermine rehabilitative approaches. On on 25 July 2026 the government, led by Prime Minister Meloni and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, formally approved a draft law Nordio confirmed that codifies the presumption of imputability for 14‑to‑under‑18‑year‑olds and draft also amends article 9 of DPR 448/1988 to permit deeper allow broader collection of personal, family personal and social family background information in for responsibility assessments. The law retains does not lower the 14‑year minimum culpability age and reduced sentencing ranges, threshold or increase maximum penalties, but shifts the it changes evidentiary burden to rules. Debate continued into late July. On 28 July parliamentarians discussed the accused. Experts highlighted concerns about adolescent brain development and called for accompanying social proposal, citing government data on child‑services cases and preventive programmes, while NGOs arguments from figures such as Barbara Rosina and opposition the CNOAS president that preventive, network‑based interventions are preferable to punitive measures. Opposition parties and NGOs reiterated criticism concerns that the measure reform may be overly punitive. undermine rehabilitative approaches and increase insecurity. Experts highlighted adolescent brain development as a factor in assessing the impact of the presumption.

Versions

  1. 2026-07-28 10:52 UTC Italian minors legal reforms
  2. 2026-07-27 09:39 UTC Italian minors legal reforms
  3. 2026-07-26 22:43 UTC Italian minors legal reforms
  4. 2026-07-26 14:36 UTC Italian minors legal reforms
  5. 2026-07-25 20:12 UTC Italian minors legal reforms
  6. 2026-07-25 20:07 UTC Italian minors legal reforms
  7. 2026-07-25 20:05 UTC Italian minors legal reforms

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