Naples Judicial Year Opens Amidst Heated Debate on Justice Reform and Rising Juvenile Crime
Naples, January 31 – The judicial year in Naples officially commenced today at Castel Capuano, marked by a contentious debate surrounding proposed justice reforms and alarming statistics on juvenile delinquency. Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri openly challenged Minister Nordio’s use of the term ‘blasphemy’ in relation to the upcoming referendum on judicial autonomy, while General Prosecutor Aldo Policastro issued a stark warning about a significant increase in violent crimes committed by minors.
Gratteri Rebukes Nordio on Referendum Terminology
Before the inauguration ceremony, Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri addressed Minister Nordio’s recent comments, stating, “The term blasphemy used by Minister Nordio seems inappropriate to me.” Gratteri acknowledged Nordio as a “cultured person” with a strong command of the Italian language, but maintained that in this instance, the term was misused. Gratteri, who was notably absent from last year’s inauguration, emphasized his current presence and his active role in explaining why a ‘no’ vote in the referendum is crucial. He further described Naples as an “effervescent city, for better or worse,” highlighting that despite instances of violence, it boasts a high rate of crime resolution, particularly due to an increased number of surveillance cameras.
Magistrates Advocate for Autonomy and Dialogue
Maria Rosaria Covelli, President of the Naples Court of Appeal, echoed the sentiment of judicial autonomy, urging that the referendum be a moment of “high dialogue” rather than “confrontation.” She stressed the importance of the Constitution as a “meeting point, not a clash,” advocating for balance. Tullio Morello, representing the Superior Council of the Magistracy, reiterated the call for independence, stating, “I have repeated the word independence many times and I do not feel blasphemous.” Morello also drew attention to the tragic statistic of 79 suicides in prisons last year.
Government Undersecretary Calls for Civil Debate
Alfredo Mantovano, Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, attended the inauguration and appealed for a civil discussion on the reform. “We must not demonize different opinions on the reform, which are translating into a heated clash,” he observed. Mantovano acknowledged the existence of differing positions on the three main points of the reform but questioned whether such divergence should lead to the demonization of opposing views with “slogans that even social networks, not suspect of being close to the government, qualify as fake and in some cases have even removed.” He emphasized that “in a dynamic of civil dialectic, slogans such as ‘with the reform, judges will depend on politics, justice will be controlled by the government, the government demands impunity’ are not needed.” Mantovano asserted that “there is not a single line in the text submitted to the referendum that goes in such directions.” He concluded by stating that “demonization should give way to civil confrontation, characteristic of a true democracy. The verdict of the polls, whatever it may be, must be accepted by all with respect and, above all, with serenity.” He also noted that the Court of Auditors, after its own reform, “is not assassinated, but enjoys good health.” Mantovano added that “for the implementing rules of the reform, dialogue with the Magistracy and the Bar will be necessary.”
General Prosecutor Warns of Escalating Juvenile Crime
General Prosecutor Aldo Policastro, in his address, expressed “great concern” over “hammering smear campaigns against magistrates that turn, even beyond intention, quickly into hate campaigns.” He lamented that “discussion becomes aggression, divergence becomes delegitimization; social media amplifies and distorts.” Policastro specifically referenced “unacceptable verbal and even physical aggressions against magistrates” in Naples. He firmly stated, “I would like it to be clear to everyone that the magistrate answers neither to the streets nor to the powerful of the moment. The magistrate always and only answers to the law.”
Policastro believes this climate is worsening with the approach of the constitutional reform referendum on the judiciary. He reiterated his strong opposition to the reform, arguing that if approved, it would only “weaken the jurisdiction with a different balance of powers and no benefit for justice and citizens.” He concluded that “a weak self-government, as will be the case with the reform, in fact produces a weak autonomy and independence of prosecutors and judges.”
During the ceremony, the judicial situation in the territory was also addressed. Policastro issued a new warning: “The increasing and casual use of weapons, even among the very young, confronts us with the drama of juvenile crime.” He revealed that in 2025, the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office registered “8 homicide proceedings, 40 camorra association proceedings, 468 weapon proceedings, and even 4 terrorism proceedings.” Policastro described these as “worrying data,” adding, “Stabbings, injuries, and homicides among very young people have never been so frequent, nor have the perpetrators and victims been so young.” He noted that these criminal events are also recorded in neighborhoods like Sanità and Quartieri Spagnoli, which “an optimistic vision and a narrative, I fear, for tourist use, have wanted to portray as freed from the camorra.” He called this “a powerful alarm bell that abruptly calls us back to reality.”
Policastro stressed that when a fifteen-year-old enters a criminal dynamic, “it is the entire society that fails. Poverty, educational poverty, social vulnerability, absence of adult references, marginalization, deceptive sirens of the camorra, and availability of weapons form a mosaic that must be dealt with. The truth is that no institution, alone, can face this terrible reality.” He concluded, “There is still much to do, and not only, and not so much, on the level of repression. The Juvenile Prosecutor of Naples, strong in her experience, has repeatedly stated, not only repression for minors but social interventions.”
Source: Corriere del Mezzogiorno
