A new listening and support desk for victims of violent crimes committed by minors was inaugurated at the Naples Juvenile Court in November 2026, following the signing of an institutional protocol.
The initiative was reported by ANSA Campania, with comments from Maria Rosaria Covelli, president of the Naples Court of Appeal, and Prefect Michele di Bari. Covelli described the protocol as cooperation among institutions and professional fields to address complex situations through coordinated responses.
What the desk is for
The service is intended to offer a safe, free and confidential space for active listening, psychological support and orientation.
According to independent reporting on the inauguration, visitors can receive help understanding the justice process and information about access to wider social, educational, health, psychological and legal resources. The stated purpose includes reducing secondary victimization and helping victims navigate procedures more clearly.
The reporting does not yet provide a consistently published opening schedule or appointment procedure, so readers should check directly with the Juvenile Court or the participating organizations before going in person.
Who can use it
The initiative is directed at victims of crimes committed by minors.
It also covers victims' relatives and people linked to them by close emotional relationships, a scope intended to recognize that violent crime affects families and close contacts as well as direct victims.
Who is behind the initiative
The project brings together judicial and non-judicial organizations. Reporting identifies the Juvenile Court, the Naples Bar Association, psychological professionals, social cooperatives, foundations and other civic organizations among the participants.
That multidisciplinary participation reflects the protocol's aim of offering coordinated responses rather than separate, unconnected interventions.
Restorative justice may be part of the path
The protocol may also, where appropriate, facilitate access to restorative-justice programs.
The acquired sources do not detail which programs the Naples desk will use or how referrals will work.
A continuation of Naples coordination models
The new desk follows earlier Naples efforts to coordinate courts, prosecutors, local authorities, health services and law enforcement around vulnerable victims.
One relevant precedent is a 2023 protocol signed at Nisida to coordinate rapid protection for minors who are victims or potential victims of crime, involving courts, prosecutors, regional and municipal services, health authorities and law-enforcement bodies. A separate Naples judicial protocol with Fondazione Pol.i.s. also established an assistance service for crime victims and relatives, with multidisciplinary support and measures intended to prevent secondary victimization.
The sources do not clarify whether the 2026 desk is formally integrated with the earlier Fondazione Pol.i.s. service or operates as a distinct initiative. What is clear from the broader framework is continuity: Naples institutions have repeatedly used written protocols to connect judicial action with psychological, social and health assistance, rather than leaving victims to seek each service separately.
For victims, the practical difference is the entry point. Instead of approaching the court, a lawyer, a psychologist and social services independently, the desk is meant to provide initial listening and orientation in one place and direct people toward the relevant resources.
