The reception system for asylum seekers and refugees in Italy: a case of a new total institution?

This article aims to provide a critical reflection on the Italian reception system for asylum seekers and refugees, in order to assess how and to what extent it differs from “total institutions”. More specifically, the article focuses on ordinary and extraordinary reception centres – the “System for the Protection of Asylum Seekers and Refugees” (SPRAR) and the “Extraordinary Reception Center” (CAS) – in order to explore their organizational and structural aspects, as well as the features of the staff involved inside. The reflections presented in the article are based on the analysis of the institutional and regulatory framework of the Italian reception system, as well as on the results of a research conducted in Tuscany. With reference to the SPRAR, the testimony of the referent of the Central Service has been gathered. With reference to the CAS System, tendering procedures of the Provinces of Florence, Arezzo and Siena are analysed. Furthermore, data on four facilities were collected and their contractors were interviewed. The research group used three criteria for choosing the facilities (size, structure dislocation, manager skills), in order to detect if and how they influence the type of daily reception offered within them.