Italy’s government approves crackdown on juvenile crime after a spate of rapes and youth criminality

ROME (AP) — Italy’s right-wing government Thursday approved a decree to crack down on juvenile delinquency, broadening conditions under which minors aged 14 or above can be jailed. The decree follows a spate of high-profile “baby gang” crimes. The decree was adopted by the Cabinet a week after Premier Giorgia Meloni visited a Naples suburb where two girls were allegedly raped repeatedly by local youths. During the visit, Meloni promised to improve safety in the town of Caivano and to rehabilitate an abandoned, rundown sports complex where some of the alleged rapes occurred. The decree includes funding for rehabilitation as well as a provision to name a special safety commissioner for Caivano, a Naples suburb.