"Yes, But Somebody Has to Help Them, Somehow:" Looking at the Italian Detention Field through the Eyes of Professional Nonstate Actors. Issue 1 (March 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Esposito, Francesca; Ornelas, José; Scirocchi, Silvia; Tomai, Manuela; Di Napoli, Immacolata; Arcidiacono, Caterina
• Is Part Of: International migration review. Volume 55:Issue 1(2021)
• Page Start: 166
• Page End: 194
• Publication Date: 2021-03
• Subjects: migrant detention -- lived experiences -- humanitarian government -- Italy -- center staff -- external civil-society actors; Emigration and immigration -- Periodicals; 325.05
• DOI: 10.1177/0197918320921134
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0197-9183

Abstract

Although migration-related detention has proliferated around the world, little is known about life inside these sites of confinement for illegalized non-citizens. Building on 34 months of fieldwork, this article examines the lived experiences of center staff and external civil-society actors engaged within Rome's detention center. We discuss the emotional, ethical, and political challenges faced by these professional actors in their everyday work and their relationship with detainees. Our aim is to shed light on psychosocial life in detention and the intersections between humanitarian and security logics in this setting. In doing so, we problematize the idea that "humanizing detention" can be a solution for change.