Prison and youth crime, Stefano Cerbone's film screening in Nisida and Poggioreale

Prison and youth crime – It is entitled "Born pre-judged" the film by the Neapolitan director Stefano Cerbone, imprenditore e cineasta originario di Secondigliano, che racconta le storie e il disagio di giovani detenuti, proponendo una riflessione urgente sulla criminalità giovanile e sulla necessità di interventi preventivi.

The film was born from the experience of the laboratory “Born – with a criminal record”, conducted by Cerbone with the young people detained in Nisida, where the director questioned the young participants about their lives and the reasons that drove them to commit illegal acts. It is in this context that striking answers emerge and reveal a deep desperation, like that of a boy who, when asked: “Were you not afraid of prison or death when committing your first crime?” he answered: “No, neither prison nor death are worse than the life I had before.” These words, a mirror of widespread youth unease, highlight a tragic reality that, if not contained, leads more and more young people to commit extreme acts. A tragic example is the killing of fifteen-year-old Emanuele Tafuto, shot in the back near Piazza Mercato.

Cerbone gave birth to “Born pre-judged” writing the screenplay together with the inmates of the High Security department of Secondigliano, who, thanks to the project, are pushed to reflect on their own experience as parents and on the relationship with their children, often destined to follow the same criminal path. “When I met the guys at Nisida, I asked them why they had chosen the path of crime,” the director says, “and they all responded with stories of suffering experienced at home, of the presence of fathers who are often absent because they are in prison. This absence, and the resulting sense of abandonment, leads many of them towards crime to seek a way out of emptiness and desperation.”

Cerbone, through his film, intends to raise awareness among the public and institutions on the importance of listening to and understanding the experiences of these young people, rather than simply judging them. “Our goal,” explains Cerbone, "is to prevent the discomfort that pushes these kids to commit their first crime. Through their suffering we want to make people understand how marginalization and the absence of reference figures mark their lives, slowly destroying them."

To support this social prevention project, Cerbone has already launched a new initiative entitled “The origins of evil”, which will involve young prisoners in listening and reflection activities together with psychologists, criminologists, teachers, writers and magistrates. The new project aims to investigate the root causes of adolescent distress and youth deviance, seeking concrete solutions that can offer young people alternative tools to crime.