A survey about the Justice

Negli anni Ottanta e Novanta del secolo scorso l’Italia ha attraversato un periodo drammatico, tra violenza mafiosa e contraddizioni all’interno dello Stato, diviso tra attività repressive, incertezze e complicità. Mentre una nuova leva di magistrati elaborava e praticava le linee di una strategia volta a individuare e perseguire gli attori della violenza mafiosa e le relazioni nel contesto sociale e all’interno delle istituzioni, altri si arroccavano nella difesa di una legalità astratta e impotente. Tra questi spicca la figura di Corrado Carnevale, Presidente della Prima sezione penale della Corte di Cassazione, denominato “ammazzasentenze” per le sue decisioni che annullavano per banali vizi di forma le sentenze di condanna dei mafiosi e dei loro complici.In the Eighties and Nineties of the last century Italy went through a dramatic period, between mafia violence and contradictions within the State. While a new generation of magistrates developed a new strategy to fight the mafia phenomenon and its relations in the social and institutional context, others defended an abstract and powerless legality. One of them is Corrado Carnevale, President of the First Criminal Section of the Court of Cassation. He was nicknamed “ammazzasentenze” (“murderer of judgments”) because of his several measures that annulled the sentences of condemnation of mafiosi and their accomplices for “technical reasons”

Intervista a Umberto Santino: Mafia e storiografia. Premesse culturali e prospettive attuali

Il fondatore e presidente del Centro Siciliano di Documentazione "Giuseppe Impastato" Umberto Santino nell'intervista rilasciata a Diacronie. Studi di Storia contemporanea il 10 ottobre 2019 presenta le sue valutazioni sul fenomeno mafioso, da un lato costruendo una dettagliata fenomenologia storica delle "realtà mafiogene" e del modus operandi del crimine organizzato nel nostro paese e, dall'altro lato, delineando nuove prospettive di ricerca nel campo degli studi sulla mafia. The founder and president of the Sicilian Documentation Center "Giuseppe Impastato" Umberto Santino in the interview given to Diacronie. Studi di Storia contemporanea on 10 October 2019 presents his evaluations on the mafia phenomenon building on the one hand, a detailed historical phenomenology of the "mafia realities" and the modus operandi of organized crime in our country and, on the other hand, outlining new research perspectives in the field of mafia studies

Mythical numbers and the proceeds of organised crime: estimating mafia proceeds in Italy

Organised crime is a field vulnerable to mythical numbers, i.e. exaggerated estimates lacking empirical support, but acquiring acceptance through repetition. The figures on mafia proceeds in Italy are a striking example of this problem. This study proposes an estimation of mafia proceeds in Italy from nine criminal activities (sexual exploitation of women, illicit firearms trafficking, drug trafficking, counterfeiting, the illicit cigarette trade, illicit gambling, illicit waste disposal, loan sharking, and extortion racketeering) by region and type of mafia (Cosa Nostra, Camorra,\u2018Ndrangheta, Apulian mafias, and other mafias). The results estimate yearly mafia proceeds at approximately \u20ac10.7 bn (0.7% of the Italian GDP), discussing the impact on the regional and national economies and the differences among the types of mafias as to their geographical sources of revenue

What is the role of the placebo effect for pain relief in neurorehabilitation? Clinical implications from the Italian consensus conference on pain in neurorehabilitation

Background: It is increasingly acknowledged that the outcomes of medical treatments are influenced by the context of the clinical encounter through the mechanisms of the placebo effect. The phenomenon of placebo analgesia might be exploited to maximize the efficacy of neurorehabilitation treatments. Since its intensity varies across neurological disorders, the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation (ICCP) summarized the studies on this field to provide guidance on its use. Methods: A review of the existing reviews and meta-analyses was performed to assess the magnitude of the placebo effect in disorders that may undergo neurorehabilitation treatment. The search was performed on Pubmed using placebo, pain, and the names of neurological disorders as keywords. Methodological quality was assessed using a pre-existing checklist. Data about the magnitude of the placebo effect were extracted from the included reviews and were commented in a narrative form. Results: 11 articles were included in this review. Placebo treatments showed weak effects in central neuropathic pain (pain reduction from 0.44 to 0.66 on a 0-10 scale) and moderate effects in postherpetic neuralgia (1.16), in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (1.45), and in pain associated to HIV (1.82). Moderate effects were also found on pain due to fibromyalgia and migraine; only weak short-term effects were found in complex regional pain syndrome. Confounding variables might have influenced these results. Clinical implications: These estimates should be interpreted with caution, but underscore that the placebo effect can be exploited in neurorehabilitation programs. It is not necessary to conceal its use from the patient. Knowledge of placebo mechanisms can be used to shape the doctor-patient relationship, to reduce the use of analgesic drugs and to train the patient to become an active agent of the therapy

Alle origini del fenomeno mafioso: il procuratore Pietro Calà Ulloa scrive da Trapani...

Pietro Calà Ulloa (1801-1879), procuratore della Gran Corte criminale di Trapani, è noto agli studiosi perché una sua relazione del 1838 viene considerata uno dei primi documenti in cui si dà una descrizione di fenomeni assimilabili al fenomeno mafioso. Il Procuratore, fedelissimo del regno borbonico, nella relazione coglieva aspetti interessanti della realtà siciliana ma, temendo un “sovvertimento politico”, metteva insieme oppositori e malavitosi.Parole chiave: Partiti, sette, fazioni, fenomeni premafiosi, mafia Pietro Calà Ulloa (1801-1879), Prosecutor of the Criminal Court of  Trapani, is known by  scholars for a report written in 1838. This work is considered one of the first document addressing mafia issue. Specifically he focused on behaviours which can be related to mafia phenomenon. In his report the Prosecutor, loyal to the Bourbon kingdom, grasped interesting aspects of the Sicilian reality, but fearing a “political upheavel”, he kept together opponents and criminals.Keywords: parties, cults,  factions, pre-mafia phenomena, mafi

The retail value of the illicit drug market in Italy: a consumption-based approach

This study estimates the retail value of the illicit drug market in Italy from a consumption-based approach. The illicit drugs considered in this analysis are heroin, cocaine, cannabis (herbal and resin), amphetamines and ecstasy. Results show that the value of the illicit drug market in Italy is much less than previously estimated and quantified at \u20ac 3.3 bn. Heroin and cocaine retain the biggest markets in terms of revenues, while cannabis is the most-consumed illicit drug. Synthetic illicit drugs account for roughly 10% of the illicit drug market. Conclusions offer some suggestions as to how uncertainties about estimates of the illicit drug market can be reduced