El Sistema. Musica per la politica criminale

This book attempts to shed light on a particular community program as a viable strategy for criminal policy. Upon entering correctional facilities we are faced with the most pervasive and expensive means to prevent future crimes. In light of the subsidiarity principle, which is grounded in human dignity and liberty and posits criminal law as the last resort, two paths may be trodden. The first would consist of a more responsive regulation that needs to be spurred by the recognition of rules from the societal body and should convey the values underlying criminal norms. The second path would reach out to tools, other than criminal law, which are better equipped to start to eradicate the social causes of crime. The latter perspective gleans insights from the capability approach and human development reports which are epitomized by El Sistema, a network of youth orchestras and choirs which have enlivened Venezuela for the last three decades by bringing free music education to under- or less-served children and juveniles. The spiritual and social justice movement set forth by El Sistema, even worldwide, opens up the floodgates to empirical studies on criminology and psychology in particular with respect to the importance of music and emotional intelligence for healthy psychological functioning in human personality. On the other hand, our quest hinges on whether the concrete reality of orchestra rehearsals and concerts may come to be a “polyphonic” venue to learn and teach not only music, but also reciprocal respect, acknowledgement, and the gist of rules. As part of this consideration on rules and society which is matched with some policy proposals, a field study was carried out in Chicago, in the El Sistema-inspired YOURS Project, to assess whether the rule of law may benefit from and encourage the empowerment of individuals to move together across the gulf of increasing, and unsustainable, inequality.