In this course we will look at theories of crime and punishment
through various Italian theorists and conventions, both contemporary and
historical. We will examine different systems of justice, from
institutionalized courts to the ‘extra-state’ methods of the mafia. With
an aim to understand better answers to the question -- what constitutes a just
reaction to a crime committed? -- we will explore ideas of prominent thinkers
from a range of disciplines across a wide expanse of time. For instance, does
justice demand revenge and retribution? Alternatively, does it require
forgiveness and mercy? And who should decide -- the victim or his/her family?
A neutral judge? The state? These questions and others will bring
us in contact with classical thinkers such as Beccaria, contemporary historians
writing on the mafia, such as Salvatore Lupo, and others.
