NCJ Number
64564
Journal
RASSEGNA DI CRIMINOLOGIA Volume: 8 Issue: 1 AND 2 Dated: (1977) Pages: 151-180
Date Published
1977
Length
30 pages
Annotation
THE CRIME OF MURDER AS A CRIMINOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL PHENOMENON WAS ANALYZED IN DEPTH IN THIS SURVEY OF 41 CASES TRIED IN CRIMINAL COURT DURING A 15-YEAR PERIOD (1954-69) IN A NORTH ITALIAN REGION.
Abstract
THIS STUDY WAS BASED ENTIRELY ON THE METICULOUS PERUSAL OF COURT TRIAL TRANSCRIPTS, BECAUSE NO PERSONALITY PROFILES OF THE DEFENDANTS WERE COMPILED DURING THE 15-YEAR PERIOD. ONLY MURDERS IN THE LEGAL DEFINITION OF WILLFUL HOMICIDES COMMITTED WITH MALICIOUS AFORETHOUGHT WERE INCLUDED, BUT SO-CALLED POLITICAL ASSASSINATIONS WERE EXCLUDED. ALL THE MURDER CASES SURVEYED WERE TRIED IN THE LOCAL COURTS. CONSTRAINTS WERE IMPOSED ON THE SURVEY BY THE LIMITED NUMBER OF CASES STUDIED (PARTIALLY OFFSET BY THE LENGTH OF THE TIME PERIOD CONSIDERED) AND BY THE UNAVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION ON THE PERSONALITIES OF BOTH CRIMINALS AND VICTIMS, WHICH HAD TO BE PIECED TOGETHER FROM THE TRANSCRIPTS OF COURT PROCEEDINGS. THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA IN WHICH THE CRIMES OCCURRED WAS A PROSPEROUS REGION, WITH A VARIED ECONOMY AND A LARGE INFLUX OF IMMIGRANTS FROM THE IMPOVERISHED ITALIAN SOUTH. THE CASES UNDER EXAMINATION WERE TABULATED UNDER A LARGE NUMBER OF DESCRIPTIVE VARIABLES. SOME OF THE FINDINGS HAVE WORLDWIDE APPLICATION: AMONG THESE ARE THE CORRELATION BETWEEN LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND SEMI-ILLITERACY (NONE OF THE SUBJECTS HAD COMPLETED EVEN THE LOCAL EQUIVALENT OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL) AND VIOLENT CRIME. A LOCAL FACTOR WAS THE PREVALENCE OF IMMIGRANTS FROM SOUTHERN ITALY AMONG BOTH MURDERS AND VICTIMS, POINTING TO SERIOUS ACCULTURATION PROBLEMS AND TO THE PERSISTENCE AMONG THE NEW AREA RESIDENTS OF A SUBCULTURE OF VIOLENCE AND A SO-CALLED HONOR CODE. ALL MURDERERS, WITH ONE EXCEPTION, WERE FOUND TO BE EITHER RELATED TO OR ACQUAINTED (THE MAJORITY OF THEM INTIMATELY) WITH THEIR VICTIMS. THE 11 CASES OF INFANTICIDES WERE JUSTIFIED BY THEIR FEMALE PERPETRATORS AS PROMPTED BY THE NECESSITY TO SAVE THEIR HONOR OR REPUTATION. THE JUDICIAL DISPOSITIONS OF THE CASES INCLUDED 35 CONVICTIONS AND 6 ACQUITTALS; 23 SENTENCES WERE APPEALED BUT ONLY 2 APPEALS WERE SUCCESSFUL. THE JUDGES REQUESTED EIGHT PSYCHIATRIC EXAMINATIONS OF DEFENDANTS, REVEALING PARTIAL MENTAL INCOMPETENCE IN SEVEN CASES. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, TOTALLY ORIENTED TOWARD MATERIALISTIC VALUES AND KEYED TO ECONOMIC COMPETITION, APPEARS TO BE UNWILLING, EVEN INCAPABLE, OF SOLVING THE EXISTENTIAL PROBLEMS IT CREATES, AMONG WHICH ARE MARGINAL PEOPLE OF THE TYPE REVEALED IN THE PRESENT SURVEY. --IN ITALIAN. (LGR)