Brigands, Mafiosi, and Others: Italy (From Crime History and Histories of Crime: Studies in the Historiography of Crime and Criminal Justice in Modern History, P 139-159, 1996, Clive Emsley and Louis A Knafla, eds. -- See NCJ-161818)

• NCJ Number: 161824
• Author(s): S C Hughes
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 21 pages
• Sale Source: Greenwood Publishing Group
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Focusing on the 19th and 20th centuries, this paper highlights some of the aspects of recent historiography of crime and criminal justice in Italy and suggests possible directions for future research.

Abstract

Although there was originally some resistance among Italian scholars to the acceptance of criminality as a legitimate subject of historical research, a significant amount of fruitful scholarship has recently appeared in Italy that qualifies as criminal justice history. Certain topics, such as the mafia and brigandage, have already attracted considerable attention and have reached a sophisticated and nuanced level of discussion. As for criminality, policing, and the courts, there are some good examples of what can be done, and new studies are appearing every year. Certain centers have started specializing in related topics, networks have been established, and Mario Sbriccoli is currently working on a cumulative bibliography similar to that which Eric Monkonen has compiled for the United States. There is still much research to be done, however. Primarily, what is needed are people willing to do the kind of local archival research that will eventually permit patterns to emerge and paradigms to develop. Italy has some of the most advanced police and judicial archives in the world. If well-informed scholars use this rich source of information, Italy has much to offer in the field of modern criminal justice history. 55 notes