In between borders and bars

This paper examines how Italian prison governance intersects with migration control, using the concept of the citizenship line to explore mechanisms of subordinated inclusion. Drawing on empirical observations and sociological research, the authors argue that incarceration in Italy functions not merely as a tool of punishment but as a regulatory space where national belonging is constantly renegotiated. Migrants, especially non-EU nationals, are disproportionately represented in prisons and are subjected to informal practices such as ethnic segregation, disciplinary transfers, and heightened surveillance. These practices construct migrants as inherently ungovernable and reinforce their marginalisation through racialised and selective application of rights, benefits, and rehabilitative opportunities. Rather than excluding migrants outright, the system absorbs them into a differentiated carceral regime that blurs the line between punishment and social control. The citizenship line serves as a heuristic device to illustrate how formal legal status and informal penal practices combine to sort, manage, and subordinate incarcerated individuals. The paper contributes to broader debates on immigration, border criminology, and penal governance by highlighting how prisons act as internal borderlands where the boundaries of citizenship are not only enforced but actively produced.