[Where are we going? The forced deinstitutionalization is a double-edged sword]

Abstract

In Italy the deep crisis of the judicial system, and in particular of the jail system, has allowed the development of an intense deinstitutionalization. A set of rules implemented since 2008 are leading to the closure of the Judicial Psychiatric Hospitals and, simultaneously, to the release of a large number of detainees, mainly restricted for drug offenses. There is a lack of effective structures for the management of this population, plagued with mental disorders. Social policies are needed that allow the development of structures for this complex population, which otherwise will be left to itself.