with the scientific collaboration of
ISSN 2611-8858

Topics

Neuroscience

The International Research Project “Derecho penal y comportamiento humano”

A project of Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo

Neuroscience and Criminal Law: the Open Issues

In recent years, also in Italy the neurosciences, namely the set of scientific disciplines that investigates, among other topics, the neural basis of human behavior, and its disorders, started to interact with criminal law and criminal procedure. At a theoretical level, and de iure condendo, criminal law scholars investigated then whether criminal law may be “refounded”, also on the basis of scientific evidence from advances in neuroscience (first of all, as to the possible overcoming of the dogma of free and self-determined will). At a practical level, and de iure condito, some applications of the neurosciences, aimed at providing the evidence of one or of another essential element of the crime, are on record: the latter approach, so far apparently more prolific than the former, after having obtained some approval by the decisions of the Italian courts of first instance and courts of appeals, seems, however, at present to be received with deep skepticism by the Italian Supreme Court

Accertamenti tecnici ed elemento soggettivo del reato

Il presente contributo si prefigge lo scopo di sottoporre alla riflessione giuridica il tema della consulenza tecnica (psicologico-forense) sull’elemento soggettivo del reato. L’analisi cercherà di distinguere le problematiche teoriche (circa lo specifico costrutto psicologico oggetto di indagine scientifica) da quelle metodiche e strumentali (relative alle possibili tecniche di applicazione). A tal fine si riporterà una breve casistica di consulenze che, ad avviso degli autori, sono già collocabili (anche se forse inconsapevolmente) all’interno di tale ambito di accertamento tecnico.