IL CARCERE IN ITALIA | 1971 | ALDO RICCI E GIULIO SALIERNO

Il carcere in Italia (1971) by Aldo Ricci and Giulio Salierno is a pioneering sociological inquiry into the Italian prison system at the beginning of the 1970s. Combining empirical research, testimonies of prisoners and guards, and a critical analysis of penal ideology, the book exposes the contradictions of incarceration as both a disciplinary and political institution. Salierno, himself a former inmate, adds an insider’s perspective that intertwines lived experience with systemic critique. Themes include power relations, the role of wardens, the reproduction of social inequality, and the political function of punishment. As part of Einaudi’s Nuovo Politecnico, the work stands at the crossroads of sociology, criminology, and political analysis, shaping debates on penal reform and human rights in Italy.