Abstract
The following study is intended to illustrate the value of empirically informed approaches to comparative criminal justice-requiring close analysis of rules, roles and procedures-as a way of throwing light on central criminological topics (Nelken, 2000, 2010a). The issue considered here has to do with the rise of ‘punitiveness’ internationally and the part played by criminal justice actors in this process. On the basis of empirical research in Italy this chapter shall be focusing on the role of prosecutors in responding to political and public calls for more severity against crimes by illegal immigrants. After first providing a historical and theoretical context for our research we shall analyze the ambivalent role of Italian prosecutors and then go on to explain how this affects the part they play in the way the criminal justice system responds to such crimes.
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