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3. A glance at foreign criminalityIt is obviously not within the economics of this work to take up the rathercomplex question of the reasons for criminality 3 of foreigners. We will limitourselves to propose the most recent statistical data and account for the principalanalytical prospects, leaving aside the already vast literature on the subject.The data relative to foreign criminality provided by the Ministry of Interiorsingles out the number of persons charged with some crimes and the percentage offoreigners, diversified by the crimes taken into consideration.The period considered from 1988 to 2000 - even if the data related to this lastyear is only partial - is vast enough to permit us to discern some interesting trends.In particular, the exponential increase, until the mid 90s, of foreigners charged withexploitation of prostitution is absolutely evident: the predominant nationalities inthis type of crime are the Albanians and the Nigerians 4 , so much so that one couldtalk about foreign organised crime in relation to facts related to the exploitation ofprostitution 5 , and an involvement of foreign citizens in all levels and phases of thetrafficking.The table shows that there are many foreigners who are authors of crimesagainst property, crimes which respond to an economic need or are driven by theconfrontation with the well-being in the arrival country, crimes which need littleorganisation 6 . The role that this type of crime causes to persons obliged to loseassured resources for legal activities should not be underrated: the loss of work forvarious reasons such as conflict with their superiors, the expiry of a contract orjudicial cases even of only administrative nature, often brings about aninvolvement, sometimes only temporary, amongst which predatory crimesundoubtedly represent one of the first opportunities 7 .For these crimes, the ethnic specialisation so stressed in the case of exploitationof prostitution, is not noted: ex-Yugoslavs, Moroccans, Algerians, Tunisians andfrom the latest Romanians are the groups to be found more frequently in the lawcourts involved in these crimes 8 .3For a synthetic exhibition of the theories on criminality, see also for the bibliography cited, DarioMelossi (2002, page 295 and following).4In 2000, according to the data quoted by Marzio Barbagli (2002, page 59) the percentage of complaintswas 54% of Albanians and 7% Nigerians.5Ministero dell’Interno, Dipartimento di Pubblica Sicurezza (2001, and in particular page 3-67).6Cf. Colombo (1998, passim, and in particular page 109 and following, 223 and following).7Cf. Colombo (1998, passim, in particular page 141 and following).8On this point see Barbagli (2002, page 159).