Foil comparisons or foiled comparisons? Learning from Italian juvenile justice

Abstract

This paper introduces the idea of ‘foil comparisons’, ones where the overriding goal is to change given practices in the light of what are claimed to be better (or, sometimes, worse) practices elsewhere. Using as an example a recent blog about what can be learned from Italian juvenile justice, it shows the potential weaknesses of such comparisons in terms of understanding other people’s practices. But it also warns that they are becoming ever more common.