In 1998 the university of LAquila has decided to organise a
refresher course of specialised studies in security and criminology. Our course originated
in a Faculty of education. Our approach is characterised by that specificity: from an
humanistic point of view, we want to explain to people what security is and what
criminology can do for them.
Criminology could give important advice for decisions and strategies
concerning the defence of properties, interests, information. The teaching of applied
criminology is obviously of great importance for police forces, investigators, and
security operators. But, from this point of view we supposed we were easily defeated by
the competition of the programs offered by the schools already existing (within the great
public agencies which have the duty of training their operators in the field).
Sophisticated technology has a great role in the development of criminology, but it
requires means that are beyond the limited possibilities of a refresher course.
We abandoned the idea of being competitive that way. All the same, we
were aware of being able to offer something that is not very well performed in other
courses existing in Italy and elsewhere. We decided to offer only one part of what is
necessary to the training of operators in security and social control: an approach to
criminology which is comparative, institutional, and humanistic.
These 10 points are illustrative of our approach:
- Humanistic criminology starts from the consideration that human behaviour is embodied in
a web of cultural, psychological, sociological, physiological conditions. If we ignore
those conditions, we lose the meaning of criminal behaviour. Frequently we speak about
<<monsters>> because we are not able to understand the mind which has decided
to commit a given criminal act. For humanistic criminology, empathy and compassion
are the commencement of understanding, and we consider nothing human alien to humanistic
criminology.
- Crime, like all human behaviour, is rational. Our rationality is performed within an institutional
context. Individuals do a cost-benefit analysis of reward/punishment before breaking
the law. Institutions have a decisive role: they can prevent crime (like youth centres and
interventions in the labour market) or discourage crime (like fair investigations and
correct incarceration). Quantity and quality of crime is a measurement of the functioning
of the institutional framework in every society. As John Stuart Mill said: <<the
most criminal actions are, to a being like a man, not more unnatural than most of the
virtues>>.
- The Italian statistics and debates about crime must be seen in the international
context. The comparison between western and eastern experiences gives us the
possibility to appreciate many internal characteristics; one of them is above all
important: citizens have rights and duties. In order to prevent crime, a sentiment of
responsibility must be impressed within our souls and bones. English Prime Minister Tony
Blair has brilliantly underlined that responsibilities matter.
- The radical culture of the Sixties frequently demonised the police and excused violence.
Security is not a fascist or authoritarian word: it is the more controversial spot in
human culture. From Horace to Popper, security is a precondition for the possibility
of living a good life in an open society. Those who want cope with social ills or
rehabilitate people liable for crime must start from the moral dimension of crime. Some
related themes dealt with in our course: from Lombroso to sociobiology; deviance and
stigma; the civilization of crime.
- The methodology of investigations is a crucial topic in a society characterised
by abundance of information, indiscretion, rumors, clues, and suspicions. The great
information revolution has deeply altered all aspects of police, prosecutorial, and court
room dynamics, including forensics evidence, plea bargaining and, most of all, the
uprightness of the trial-by-jury system. From Durkheim to McLuhan, there is a very
intricate way for the exploration of many new crimes.
- New emancipation has created new problems in quantity and quality, for instance
in field as juvenile justice and female criminality. At the beginning of the Sixties, in
the U.S. the ratio of women offenders to males was 1:5, and had grown to 1:3 during the
Seventies. In Italy at the beginning of the Nineties we speak daily about <<baby
killers>> and <<baby bosses>>. Even more wives, girlfriends, sons of
Mafia members are involved in crime activities. The trend is global. Even in the
developing world, there are more women and young people in prison than ever before, but
this is the consequence not the cure.
- After the development of Clean Hands investigations, white collar criminality is
again centrestage in Italian politics and culture. Distinct from crimes such as robbery,
rape, and assaults, white collar criminality is offen associated with studies about social
justice and control against corruption. The damage of corruption (in politics, in
financial and account markets) to moral stability and economic development explains the
importance of anti-corruption programs and legislation. Some related themes dealt with in
the course: C. Wright Mills and the <<Higher Immorality>>; the extension of
corruption; the criminalization of political enemies; inefficient administrative system
and rigid legal system as causes of crime.
- Traditional criminology is reluctant in analysing crimes deriving from <<the
misuse of State-powers>>. Governmental illegalities include such topics as
war crimes, violations of human rights, illegal secret police operations, genocide and
ethnic cleansing, police corruption; un-authorised surveillance, espionage,
assassinations, disruption, and experiments. Some themes treated in the course: the
universal declaration of human rights; from Tiananmen Square to Pol Pot's crimes; the
doctrine of Raison d'Etat; hate crimes; scandals.
- Courses on intelligence are well founded in anglosaxon universities. For
instance, the Harvard University Intelligence and Policy Program, founded in 1987 in
cooperation with CIA. is well-known, which led research and training on the role of
intelligence in policymaking. The project was held at the John F. Kennedy School of
Government at Harvard. In Italy there is not nothing similar. Some related themes dealt
with in our course: the distinction between espionage and intelligence; evolution of
espionage; the lack of academic literature on intelligence in Italy; typologies of spies;
case studies that illustrate the role of intelligence in national policymaking
- From many points of view terrorism is not a typical criminological subject. But
undoubtedly it has relevant consequences for practioners of criminal issues. Some related
themes dealt with in our course: brief history of terrorism; idealistic terrorism;
single-issue terrorists; international terrorism and domestic terrorism; the American
case, from the World Trade Center bombing to the Oklahoma City bombing; the Italian case,
from the Sixties to the Nineties.
Our courses have been designed for those interested in security matters
from many points of view, even belonging to different fields and holding different
positions.
For this reason the courses offer general information on different
issues. The qualification given at the end will be appreciated by many private and public
organisations.
Some of our students are young people who are interested in a first
survey on criminology, and some are experienced operators who are interested in an
academic treatment of problems found in daily activities.
The teachers on our courses are highly qualified university professors
and specialists operative in fields such as criminology, victimology, psychology,
sociology, anthropology, neurophysiology, computer science, law, and medicine. We have
invited to speak in our lessons bodyguards, tax officers, secret service officers, Zen
Abbots, policemen, magistrates and judges. One of the best followed lesson in our course
has been held by the specialist who directed the inquiry on <<the Florence
monster>>. Our issues range from fear to risk analysis, self-control,
self-knowledge, paranoia, methodology of investigation, computer crimes, the security
industry, the juridical framework, Mafia, organised crime, disorganised crime,
environmental crimes, mobbing, tampering, serial killers.
Those are some of the lessons listed in our school calendar:
- Policies of security - (Prof. F. Sidoti, criminologist)
- Neurophisiology of insecurity sentiments (Prof. C. Pacitti, neuroscientist)
- Psychology of security (Prof. G. Attili, psychologist)
- Security and safety (Prof. A. Paoletti, forensic scientist)
- Sexual slavery (Prof. S. Marchese, historian)
- Insanity and crime (Prof. A. Gasbarri, neuroscientist)
- Distinction between transgression, deviance, crime (Prof. G. De Leo,
criminologist)
- Immigration and crime (Prof. U. Dante, historian)
- Logic of the inquiry: circumstantial evidence, sign, clue (Dr. F. Donato, security
operator)
- Computer crimes (Col. U. Rapetto, security operator)
- Juvenile delinquency (Dr. M. Gammone, criminologist)
- White collar criminality (Dr. I. Portelli, security operator)
- Drug addiction - (Dr. C. Mannetti, lecturer and lawyer)
- The public security structures (Col. Suppa, security operator)
- The public security structures (Dr. Comes, former head of the Italian Criminalpol)
- The Italian police (Pref. F. Masone, Head of the Italian Police)
- Past and future in Intelligence (Admiral F.Martini,former Head of Italian intelligence
service)
- The Legal System (Dr. D'Eramo, judge)
- Lawyers and judges (Dr. F. Occhiogrosso, judge)
- Sun Zi's art of war (Pref. I. Marino, Former head of Italian intelligence service)
- Self-control in Zen Tradition (Dr. F. Guareschi, Zen Abbot)
The course on security and criminology will last one year. We will
finish the whole program by the end of 1999.
The cost of the course is one million lira, including books and
didactic materials.
The course on investigations will last three years. The course has been
designed with the assistance of the <<Guardia di Finanza>> and will be
performed within the military structures.
The course inauguration ceremony was a conference on security policies,
held on March 11, 1999, in the pleasant residence <<Guardia di Finanza>>
School, in L'Aquila, which hosts about two thousands cadets (many of them have
participated in the conference). Among others, we had the participation of the
Under-secretary of State to Justice, Hon. Marianna Licalzi, the president of Eurispes,
Professor Gian Maria Fara, and relevant local authorities.
Another important ceremony was performed on June 16, 1999. Among
others, we had the participation of the Under-secretary of State to Internal Affairs,
Giannicola Sinisi; the Hon. Federico Ascierto (AN); General Luciano Luciani, Military
Schools Headquarters; General Pietro Ciani, commander in chief, Abruzzo Company; professor
Claudio Pacitti, Head of the Faculty of Education; professor Oreste Massari, Head of
Institutional Reforms Departement, Leftist Democrats (DS); Doctor Lino Di Guido, Head of
Security Department, Leftist Democrats (DS);doctor Carla Mannetti, President of County
Administration, L'Aquila.
The head of the course is Professor Francesco Sidoti
Dean of the Education Faculty is Professor Claudio Pacitti
Chancellor of the University of l'Aquila is Professor Luigi
Bignardi.
The co-ordinator of Scientific activities is Professor Francesco Donato
The co-ordinator of Teaching activities is Professor Gianmarco Cifaldi.
Organisation inspectors are Mariateresa Gammone and Rossana D'Angelo.
Tel. 0862-432148 Fax. 0862-432170