Meloni says preventive detention to apply to minors too

Italy’s cabinet announced that pretrial detention will now apply to minors as well as adults. It also extended preventive detention involving known or suspected troublemakers before potentially problematic demonstrations. The measures form part of a new security and juvenile crime decree announced by Premier Giorgia Meloni.

The key change is immediate application. Meloni said an earlier provision, which reverses the previous approach to understanding and responsibility for people aged 14 to 18, was still before Parliament. The new decree makes that provision effective immediately. It also removes the previous adult-only limit on pretrial detention.

The announcement followed shocking riots in Milan and other cities at the weekend. Under the decree, a minor suspected of causing trouble around a demonstration could potentially be detained before trial. The article does not state how often the powers will be used or give procedural details.

Pretrial detention is the temporary holding of a person while a criminal case is still awaiting trial. Its purpose is generally to manage risks during proceedings, not to declare that the person is guilty. In this article, Italy’s cabinet said this measure, previously applying only to adults, would also apply to minors.

For example, a minor suspected of causing trouble at a demonstration could be detained before the case reaches a verdict under the new decree. The key mechanism is timing: detention occurs before the court determines whether the alleged conduct was proved. The article does not describe the exact legal test or maximum duration.

Punishment comes after conviction and is imposed as a sentence for an established offence. Because pretrial detention happens earlier, legal systems normally require safeguards and justification. The article reports the expansion, but does not explain the decree’s detailed procedures or appeal rights.

The article gives two related descriptions. Meloni discusses young people between 14 and 18 when explaining the rule about understanding their actions. She separately says pretrial detention, previously limited to adults, will now apply to minors. Thus, 14 to 18 is the clearly stated age range for the capacity provision, while the article does not define the full age scope of detention.

A 16-year-old therefore falls within the age group directly discussed. If that person were suspected of causing trouble around a problematic demonstration, the new rule could make pretrial detention possible. However, the article does not say whether a child under 14 could be detained under this decree.

The safest reading is that the decree concerns minors, with specific explanation focused on ages 14 through 18. More detailed age limits would require the decree’s text, which is not provided here. The immediate effect is clear, but its complete coverage is not.

Before the new decree took effect, Italy’s State had to prove separately in every case that a person aged 14 to 18 was capable of understanding what they had done. This placed the burden on the State whenever that issue arose. Meloni described this as the existing principle.

The replacement rule reverses that starting point. It presumes that the young person was capable of understanding their actions, unless someone proves otherwise. For example, in a case involving a 16-year-old suspected of trouble at a demonstration, the initial legal assumption would be capacity rather than incapacity. The article does not identify who must present contrary proof.

Meloni said Parliament was already considering this provision, but it had not yet taken effect through that process. The cabinet’s new decree makes it effective immediately. The article presents this as a major shift in how responsibility is initially assessed for the stated age group.

Under the new decree, a minor suspected of causing trouble around a problematic demonstration could potentially face preventive or pretrial detention. The government announced this change after riots in Milan and other cities. It marks a significant expansion because Meloni said pretrial detention had previously applied only to adults.

The mechanism works before a final court decision. Authorities could use detention while a case is pending, rather than waiting for a conviction. The article also says preventive detention of known or suspected troublemakers ahead of demonstrations will be extended to minors. It does not explain the evidence required, the detention period, or whether every suspected troublemaker would be detained.

The immediate legal position is therefore broader authority, not automatic detention. A minor’s suspected involvement could trigger consideration of detention under the decree. The article gives no examples of arrests, individual cases, or later court outcomes.

The government introduced the measures after shocking riots occurred in Milan and other cities at the weekend. The timing connects the cabinet’s action to concerns about disorder surrounding demonstrations. Premier Giorgia Meloni presented the decisions in a video explaining the new security and juvenile crime decree.

The response targets two linked issues described in the article. First, preventive detention for known or suspected troublemakers before problematic demonstrations will extend to minors. Second, pretrial detention, previously available only for adults, will also apply to minors. The decree also immediately activates the revised presumption about whether people aged 14 to 18 understood their actions.

The article does not provide casualty figures, identify the people involved in the riots, or detail the specific events in each city. It does show the government’s stated rationale: recent unrest prompted immediate legal changes concerning security and juvenile crime. Further effects depend on how the decree is applied and considered by Parliament.

A legal system can protect the public before trial by allowing temporary detention when authorities identify a serious, legally defined risk. At the same time, the suspect remains unconvicted. Pretrial detention should therefore be treated as a preventive measure, not punishment. The article reports Italy extending it from adults to minors.

For example, a minor suspected of causing trouble at a problematic demonstration could be held while the case proceeds. The public-protection mechanism is detention before trial. The safeguard is the distinction between suspicion and conviction: detention addresses an immediate legal concern, while guilt must still be decided later. The article does not list Italy’s specific safeguards or required evidence.

The balance becomes especially important because the decree concerns minors and known or suspected troublemakers. Courts and authorities must apply the rule without treating detention as proof of guilt. The article confirms the immediate expansion, but gives no information about review, duration, appeals, or Parliament’s later role.