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Gli Autori hanno svolto una ricerca su un campione di 1.009 persone in tema di scelte etiche in periodo pandemico (aprile 2020) somministrando un apposito questionario online (web interviews). Di questo campione, il 10% ha dichiarato in sede di compilazione di svolgere una professione dell’area sanitaria. Partendo dall’analisi di questi dati e alla luce della letteratura di riferimento e delle raccomandazioni del SIAARTI/SIMLA “Decisioni per le cure intensive in caso di sproporzione tra necessità assistenziali e risorse disponibili in corso di pandemia da COVID-19”, gli Autori propongono alcune riflessioni in tema di dilemmi etici.

The present research aims at analyzing criminological and medico-legal characteristics of intra-familiar homicides occurred in two major Italian cities (Milano and Monza) from the beginning of 2006 to the end of 2021.Cases were identified using the Institutional database of the Institute of Legal Medicine of Milan, where all the autopsies of victims were performed. Data about these cases were obtained from autopsies findings, preliminary investigation reports, local papers and victim relatives' interviews. In this period 11,480 autopsies were performed: 392 were homicides and, among these, 94 were confirmed as intra-familiar homicides (as a result of 84 events). Cases were classified according to the classic definition of intimate partner violence (referring only to an intra-familiar context), parricides, filicides, fratricides, familicides and grannicides. Age, sex, nationality and risk factors of the victims and perpetrators, as well as methods of murder were registered for each case. Only in some cases, motives for murder were known.The most frequent type of intra-familiar homicides was intimate partner violence (41.5%), followed by parricides (16%, mainly matricides), filicides (10.7%) and fratricides (6.4%). 9.6% of the total number of events were familicides. Risk factors were frequently involved, in particular among perpetrators and in the group of parricides, while among siblicides they showed minimal relevance. Overall, psychiatric pathologies were the main risk factors involved (at least 23.8%), unlike extrafamiliar homicides, where previous criminal report or involvement in illicit traffics are frequently reported among perpetrators. This finding enlightens the difficulties of caring for a relative with a mental disorder, who can become dangerous for the domestic caregiver. Furthermore, the high number of physical illness and the advanced age of victims points out the tragical consequences of the lack of social support system for these categories of people.of murder were mainly cold steel (30-31.9%) and firearms (21-22.3%). However choking/manual ligature (9-9.6%), blunt force trauma inflicted using objects found on the scenario or bare handed (16-17%) and combined methods (11-11.7%) were frequently represented confirming the expected high level of impulsivity related to this kind of crime.

Most murder victims in a romantic relationship are women but sometimes they will kill their husbands or partners (mariticide). This paper focuses on these rarer cases using a sample taken from the autopsy reports of the Department of Legal Medicine of the University of Milan whose territory includes the municipality of Milan and part of the province of Milan and Monza – approximately four million inhabitants.

The purpose of the present research is to analyze temporal tend, victim's and perpetrator's specific features and the role of risk factors of femicides assessed at the Institute of Legal Medicine of Milan (in the North of Italy) from 2006 to 2020. The classical definition of femicide (the killing of a woman because of her gender) was used, in order to exclude murders of a woman because of economic issues, neighborhood quarrels, vengeance for previous discussions and other motives. Data were obtained from autopsies findings, local papers and victim relatives' interviews. The analysis of 86 femicides occurred in the judicial district of the Cities of Milan and Monza from 2006 to 2020 were performed. The results show the temporal distribution of the phenomenon, the methods of murders, the mean age of the victims, victims and perpetrators' relationship and nationality, risk factors. Although a reduction in the total number of femicides was observed, the percentage of femicides when compared to the total number of homicides was the same. Also, an increasing mean age of the victims over the period emerged. Moreover, the analysis of nationality of the victims and the perpetrators did not reflect foreign citizens distribution in Italy.

This study reviews autopsies performed by the Legal Medicine department of the University of Milan from 1990 to 2018. In particular, the characteristics of the perpetrator, the victim and the type of existing relationship, the means used, and the place and time of the crime. A retrospective analysis was conducted, extracting data from the Milan Institute of Legal Medicine database, selecting cases of murder-suicide from the archive between 1990 and 2018 (a total of 75 cases with 84 murder victims). Available data was processed statistically. Univariate and bivariate analysis techniques were mainly used. Significance tests (Chi-square) and correlation studies (Pearson's R) were also conducted, the results of which were then examined and discussed in light of legal, medical and criminological expertise. In almost all cases, suicide followed immediately after the murder, at home and in the context of an emotional relationship. The murderer and person committing suicide is almost always male and the victim female. A firearm was the most common weapon in cases of both murder and suicide. The results indicate that the issue of gender is relevant in murder-suicides as indicated by international and national literature on homicides. Furthermore, the use of firearms endorses the importance of limiting their availability through more restrictive laws.

Background. The beginning of 2020 has been marked by a historic event of worldwide importance: the Coronavirus pandemic. This emergency has resulted in severe global problems affecting areas such as healthcare and the social and economic fields. What about crime? Purpose of the work. The purpose of this work is to reflect about Italy and its crime rate at the time of Coronavirus. Methods. Some crimes will be analysed (the “conventional” ones only, ruling out health-related offences) in the light of data resulting from Ministries and Europol reports, as well as from newspapers and news. Results and conclusions. The outcome will be explained, and some criminological remarks will be added. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Facial asymmetry is considered a marker of psychological, emotional and physiological distress, while anxiety is a behavioural, psychological and physiological response to a threat to well-being. Since individuals respond to anxiety with specific patterns (e.g., muscular tension), it is reasonable to hypothesize that anxiety could contribute to facial tension and therefore facial asymmetry. Instead, since facial asymmetry is perceived as "unpleasant" from peers, its presence may be a hindrance to social adaptation contributing to generate anxiety. In this study, we investigated whether resting facial asymmetry and anxiety are associated in young population. Full frontal facial photographs of 56 Caucasian males were taken in resting state to obtain indices of asymmetry in six facial landmarks. Anxiety status was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y). Analysis of the face showed that asymmetry and laterality of specific facial landmarks were associated with anxiety. State anxiety was associated with eyebrow and lateral angle of the eye, while trait anxiety was associated with eyebrow and lateral angle of the mouth. Moreover, as compared with contralateral landmarks, the left landmarks were lifted/expanded in subjects with elevated trait/state anxiety, whereas the right landmarks were lifted/expanded in subjects with low-trait/state anxiety.

Criminological rehabilitative treatments of abusive partners have always been considered of key importance from a preventive point of view. Criminological research, and our experience as criminologists, has proved that even the most abusive partners—including uxoricides—after their convictions repeat the same violent relationship pattern. That said, the Chair of Criminology (University of Milan) set up the first action and research program in Italy offering treatment for perpetrators of domestic violence, called S.A.Vi.D. (Stop Alla Violenza Domestica – an Italian acronym meaning: Stopping Domestic Violence) in 2010. Information about all the subjects treated will also be described and discussed: age, legal status motives, offender behavior prior to treatment, whether and how behavior changed after treatment.

La violenza di coppia e ancora oggi molto diffusa: non esiste gruppo sociale, economico o etnico che ne sia esente. Lo studio di decine di casi, effettuato mediante l’analisi dei fascicoli processuali e carcerari e prolungati colloqui con soggetti condannati per questo tipo di reati, ci ha permesso di individuare le criminogenesi e le criminodinamiche alla base della violenza, anche letale, contro le partner. Fra le prime, una "patologia" culturale di discriminazione di genere e le patologie dell’attaccamento; fra le seconde, quelle tecniche di neutralizzazione o di disimpegno morale quali la negazione della propria responsabilita, la minimizzazione del danno provocato, l’attribuzione di colpa alla vittima, etc. Sulla base di tali criminogenesi e criminodinamiche e stato varato un progetto di trattamento per i partner abusanti, il S.A.Vi.D (Stop Alla violenza Domestica), di cui si riferisce la metodologia, che, in chiave di prevenzione terziaria, ha lo scopo di intervenire per evitare che i partner abusanti ripetano il loro comportamento.

In the past five years, several scientific articles have claimed that the increase some countries have registered in suicide rates since 2008 is somehow related to the economic crisis. Other research has suggested that the impact of specific economic problems on the probability of suicidal behavior is often mediated by other individual-level factors, mainly psychological and physical, whose negative influence is exacerbated by reductions in the availability of health and social care during an economic crisis. On the basis of almost 1,000 cases of suicide collected by the Institute of Forensic Medicine in the province of Milan, this article aims at testing whether suicidal probability during an economic crisis is influenced by the interaction between an individual’s employment status and the presence of psychological or physical disease. Using a binary logistic regression model, this article demonstrates that the likelihood of suicide during an economic crisis is three times higher for persons affected by a severe disease, either physical or psychological, than for people who are not affected (OR = 3.156; 95% CI = 1.066–9.339; p = 0.38). Neither employment status nor the interaction between employment status and health status contributed to the difference between the suicide rate before and during the economic crisis.

In recent times Italy has been experiencing massive migration flows, therefore the attention on the issue of crimes committed by foreigners is increasing. But within trials, in the evaluation of criminal liability of foreigners, how do experts deal with them? Do the performed evaluations take cultural diversity into account? The present study took origin from these questions and examined a total of 86 reports by experts on criminal liability of foreign persons (16 females and 70 males). Examinees have been declared indictable in 31 cases (36%), totally mentally ill in 40 cases (45%) and with diminished liability in 15 cases (17%); when liability was excluded, examinees were diagnosed in 11 cases with mood disorders, in 23 cases with personality disorders, in 4 cases with adaptation disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder and in 10 cases with different diagnoses (in some cases more than one diagnosis was present). None of the reports used the section of the DSM concerning “cultural framing”. Tests were used in 48 surveys (56% of cases), with more tests for each examinee, for a total of 39 Rorschach, 14 Raven test, 8 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - MMPI - 4 Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - WAIS - level test, 8 Thematic Apperception test. When subjects were diagnosed with mental disorder and with diminished liability, 42 (79%) were also socially dangerous. Results highlight the importance of the relationship between the expert and the foreigner. Many factors ought to be critically considered by experts dealing with foreigners, like cultural awareness, knowledge of verbal communication, critical consideration of meanings and diagnosis, knowledge of the foreigners' personal story, presence of tests with inexact information and cultural fallacy.

L'Ospedale Psichiatrico Giudiziario (OPG) di Castiglione delle Stiviere ospita le donne di tutto il territorio italiano che hanno commesso un reato e che sono state assolte per infermitŕ mentale. Su ottanta donne presenti attualmente in OPG, dieci hanno commesso il reato di omicidio ai danni del proprio figlio. L'etŕ media delle infanticide, al momento del fatto, č di 35 anni. La provenienza geografica prevalente č dell'area centro-nord; la diagnosi piů rappresentata č la depressione psicotica. Le strategie terapeutiche e riabilitative, adottate in OPG, sono rivolte, in primis, alla riduzione, idealmente alla scomparsa, della pericolositŕ sociale, che si consegue con un miglioramento clinico che porti a sufficiente "consapevolezza" del reato e della malattia e ad un controllo dell'aggressivitŕ: l'esito desiderato di tali strategie č un buon reinserimento sociale. Nei casi di figlicidio appare di rilevante importanza il percorso psicoterapeutico che prevede una sorta di "elaborazione" del reato e di "rinascita interiore" per poter far fronte alle complessitŕ del futuro. In questi casi spesso sono i genitori o, comunque, i familiari a farsi carico di queste donne, mentre il marito tende ad abbandonare la donna. Le donne che commettono il reato di infanticidio, spesso in una fase di scompenso psicotico, presentano perlopiů un buon compenso psicopatologico non molto tempo dopo il reato. Il percorso di elaborazione appare in ogni caso molto difficoltoso e il rischio maggiore in degenza č quello di agiti autodiretti. Per effettuare una "dimissione sicura" dobbiamo tenere conto della paziente, delle famiglie interessate e, se presente, di una possibile altra vittima: al riguardo segnaliamo che la pericolositŕ sociale, qualora la donna abbia altri figli, appare non particolarmente persistente, specie se intesa restrittivamente, ovvero come la probabilitŕ di reiterare quel reato; infatti, nel caso della maggior parte delle infanticide il fatto di avere altri bambini non costituisce un rischio, bensě un fattore favorente per una buona ripresa sociale e per una ricostruzione interiore. Delle dieci infanticide ricoverate, tre sono prossime alle dimissioni.

Murder-suicide is a relatively rare event, and familicide is rarer still. However, it is certainly not unknown, and has been described in the scientific literature from both a socio-criminological and pathological–forensic perspective since the last century. In a civilized urban area such as Milan and province, where there is a general reduction in the homicide rate, homicide-suicide occurs almost exclusively within the family, and has specific features that differentiate it from other types of homicide, whether connected with general criminality or organized crime. This article analyses the quantitative and qualitative features of cases of homicide-suicide occurring in Milan and province between 1990 and 2009 (20 years), considering temporal aspects and the development of the events, the weapons used, and the epidemiological and psychopathological features of the perpetrators and their victims.

This paper investigates the development of criminology research in Italy and places it in the context of broader considerations of the country's policies on crime and criminal justice. An overview of Italian research on crime and criminology reveals the versatility of Italian literature and jurisprudence; it also indicates that `new' forms of criminality (such as white-collar crimes, sexual offences and the crimes of immigrants) are being discussed alongside the more traditional topics of murder, crimes against property and organized crime. Furthermore, this survey attempts to clarify why, in Italy, the level of public confidence in the criminal justice system is so low, despite the numerous recent reforms and the official crime rates, according to which Italy is within the European norm for most categories of offences.

Background Acute compartment syndrome (ACS) is a clinical condition with potentially dramatic consequences, therefore, it is important to recognise and treat it early. Good management of ACS minimises or avoids the sequelae associated with a late diagnosis, and may also reduce the risk of malpractice claims. The aim of this article was to evaluate different errors ascribed to the surgeon and to identify how the damage was evaluated. Materials and methods A total of 66 completed and closed ACS cases were selected. The following were analysed for each case: clinical management before and after diagnosis of ACS, imputed errors, professional fault, damage evaluation and quantification. Particular attention was paid to distinguishing between impairment because of primary injury and iatrogenic impairment. Statistical analyses were performed using Fisher's exact test and Pearson's correlation. Results The most common presenting symptom was pain. Delay in the diagnosis, and hence delay in decompression, was common in the study. A total of 48 out of 66 cases resolved with the verdict of iatrogenic damage, which varied from 12% to 75% of global capability of the person. A total of $394,780 out of $574,680 (average payment) derived from a medical error. Conclusions ACS is a clinical emergency that requires continuous clinical surveillance from both medical and nursing staff. The related damage should be evaluated in two parts: damage deriving from the trauma, so that it is considered inevitable and independent from the surgeon's conduct, and damage deriving from a surgeon's error, which is eligible for an indemnity payment.

After a historical examination of the concept of white collar crime, the authors highlight that severe psychopathic traits can be found in white-collar criminals, often studied only by analyzing their crimes, and not by assessing the people who committed crimes. Approaching white-collar crime from the personological perspective enable us to understand how certain individual traits (arrogance, love of risk, disregard for the damage inflicted to the next, manipulative tendencies, narcissism and others) can be ecological both for the psychopathic subject and—on the short term—for specific business contexts. Corporate Psychopathy is the criminological and personological construct embracing such behaviors.

The criminal use of weapons is a very topical issue in the industrialized countries and worldwide, and a reconsideration of the legislation governing their possession is warranted. We retrospectively analyzed the homicides and suicides involving the use of firearms and piercing and/or cutting weapons recorded at the Medicolegal Bureau in Milan from January 1, 1993, to December 31, 2008. First we considered the clinical histories of the deceased and the circumstantial details of their deaths, then we examined the data relating to the cause of death recorded in the autopsy reports. Our case series consisted of 414 homicides (54.2%) and 350 suicides (45.8%). Firearms were responsible for more deaths (64%) than piercing and/or cutting weapons (36%). The firearms involved were legally licensed in 40% of cases (suicides) and illegal in 22% (homicides). Our findings suggest the need to review the criteria considered for the issue of firearms licenses, in Italy at least.

This is the first study focused on the stalking of lawyers. The authors hypothesized that these professionals are at risk of being stalked by their clients and that this stalking is ascribable to RECON type I.B. A random sample of lawyers was survived. 37.3% of 166 respondents revealed to have been stalked: not only by clients, but also by adversaries and colleagues. Data seem to confirm that the stalking of lawyers mainly belongs to RECON type I.B. Female lawyers were at greater risk than male lawyers. In family law cases, the professionals tended to be stalked by the former husbands of the lawyers' clients (p&nbsp

Shocking news of robberies committed using hypnosis on bank cashiers, salespeople, or passers-by has sporadically been reported by the media in countries around the world. The first reported episode in Italy dates to the 1950s. Although the phenomenon has been reported in the papers more frequently in recent years, no objective analysis of it has been published in the scientific literature. This paper analyzes 106 episodes recorded in Italy between 1988 and 2007, identified by a systematic review of the online and printed archives of Italian national and local dailies and of the database of the country's principal press agency. When they are analyzed from a psychological and criminological standpoint, there is no evidence to support any real use of hypnotic methods in the episodes described.