When gender-based violence enters the courtroom and mental health demands to be heard
A necessary and uncomfortable dialogue between law and mental health
96 femicides in a single year, 63 of which committed by partners or ex-partners. According to 2023 ISTAT data, the number is shocking, but the reality behind it is even more complex. In many cases, psychiatry, criminal justice, and gender-based violence intersect in a minefield of responsibility, suffering, and unresolved questions.
In Genoa, at the evocative Archaeological Space of the Giardini Luzzati, the presentation of the new monographic issue of Il Vaso di Pandora – Dialogues in Psychiatry and Human Sciences, published by Erga Edizioni, took place. The event offered the public a chance to approach a crucial issue with a fresh perspective and a shared language.
Il Vaso di Pandora: a special issue on femicide
Edited by Norberto Miletto and Monica Carnovale, both working in the Ligurian REMS (Residential Facilities for the Execution of Security Measures), the volume brings together top-level contributions that combine clinical rigor and narrative sensitivity. The theme of femicide is dissected and reinterpreted through the lens of human sciences, criminal law, and social responsibility.
The opening piece is the final essay by the late Grazia Zuffa, who boldly questioned the use of criminal law as a symbolic response to gender-based violence. Her analysis deconstructs key concepts such as punishment, female subjectivity, and patriarchal culture, offering provocative and deep insights.
The ambiguous figure of the “mad offender” and the double standard of justice
Franco Corleone, former Italian Ombudsman for the rights of detainees, focuses on a deeply controversial issue: non-accountability in psychiatric patients. His essay criticizes a justice system that often reduces mental suffering to a clinical diagnosis and criminal verdict.
Corleone challenges the instrumental use of mental illness in courts: “We must stop psychiatry from becoming an arm of penal control. And justice must not rely on evaluations and fear alone. It’s not just a reform—it’s a cultural revolution.”
A culture of care, not a culture of fear
The goal of the publication and the event is clear: to build a culture of care and responsibility that goes beyond retribution. In a historical moment where fear too often drives legal responses, the message of this issue is bold: it is time to foster a new alliance between psychiatry and justice, centered on rights, inclusion, and a better understanding of human complexity.
Il Vaso di Pandora reminds us that justice is not just about punishment—it’s about listening to pain, understanding fragility, and having the courage to look deeper into the cracks of our social system.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is Il Vaso di Pandora?
A scientific journal addressing topics in psychiatry and the human sciences from a multidisciplinary perspective.
2. What is the topic of the latest issue?
The relationship between gender-based violence, psychiatry, and criminal law.
3. Who are the editors of the volume?
Norberto Miletto and Monica Carnovale, active in Liguria’s REMS facilities.
4. What are REMS?
Healthcare facilities for criminal offenders deemed mentally unfit to stand trial.
5. How many femicides occurred in Italy in 2023?
96 cases, 63 of which were committed by current or former partners.
6. Who was Grazia Zuffa?
A leading thinker in the intersection of justice and mental health, recently deceased.
7. What is the “mad offender” figure?
A problematic legal construct that separates guilt from care through psychiatric diagnosis.
8. What criticism does the issue raise against the legal system?
That it oversimplifies mental suffering into a binary of guilt vs. non-accountability.
9. What is the proposed approach?
To develop a culture of shared responsibility and multidisciplinary dialogue.
10. Where can the journal be read?
Available through Erga Edizioni and in academic libraries.
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