Ateneo - UPO

Punishment and Democracy.

To take the examination, students must study two texts selected from the following list: Dei delitti e delle pene. Carcere e penalità nel XXI secolo, "Micromega", 1/2026; Roberto Tagliaferri (a cura di), La giustizia riparativa. Un cambio di paradigma?, Assisi, Cittadella editrice, 2026; Angela Davis, Aboliamo le prigioni?, Roma, minimumfax, 2022; Stefano Anastasìa, Le pene e il carcere, Milano, Mondadori, 2022; Dario Melossi, Massimo Pavarini, Carcere e fabbrica, quarta edizione, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018; John Braithwhite and Philip Pettit, Not Just Deserts. A Republican Theory of Criminal Justice, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1990; Michel Foucault, Sorvegliare e punire. Nascita della prigione (1975), Torino, Einaudi, qualsiasi data.
Students attending the lectures may replace one of the required texts with the course materials uploaded to the DIR platform and the lecture notes.

The course aims, at a basic level, to provide students with: 1. (knowledge and understanding): the basic knowledge related to modern theories of punishment and the history of prison; 2. (ability to apply knowledge understanding): the essential methodological tools for studying theories of punishment and contemporary prison system; 3. (autonomy of judgment): the ability to exercise sufficient independence of judgment; 4. (communication skills): the ability to present the knowledge acquired in a way and clear and correct; 5. (learning skills): a sufficient ability to analyze texts and connect the topics covered. At a more advanced level, the course aims to enable the acquisition of: 1. (knowledge and understanding): an in-depth knowledge of theories of punishment in relation to the transformations of contemporary democracies and the history of the prison system; 2. (ability to apply knowledge and understanding): a sound ability to reconstruct the main issues accurately and in depth; 3. (autonomy of judgment): a good ability to critically analyze the different arguments and justifications of punishment and prison;4. (communication skills): a good ability to present in a way and clear and correct knowledge acquired, showing full mastery of terminology and vocabulary: a good ability to analyze texts and connect the topics covered, demonstrating awareness of the problems related to the different justification of the right to punish in democratic societies.

The knowledge and skills acquired during the Bachelor's degree programme.

Lectures, text readings, papers and classroom discussions, including the use of online tools to support historical and political research. Seminars with experts and professionals working in the field of penal enforcement will also be organized.

The course will take place in the first semester of 2026-27. Please register for the course via the DIR platform, which will be activated by early October 2027. Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/servicesstudents-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

At the end of the course, learning will be verified by an oral test lasting approximately 20 to 30 minutes structured as follows: 1. The presentation of a topic of your choice from among those covered in the course, with follow-up questions relating to the topic presented; 2: Two questions relating to the texts of your choice. The grade is given in thirtieths and the assessment is made according to the following parameters: The students should have acquired: 1. basic knowledge and understanding of the main topics covered. (corresponding to 18-23/30); 2. the ability to present the knowledge acquired clearly and accurately, and to interpret texts within their historical and intellectual context, showing a good communicative ability (corresponding to 24-26/30); 3. the ability to compare different theories, to present arguments in a critical way and to show excellent communicative capabilities (corresponding to 27-30/30).

The course focuses on contemporary theories of the power to punish, the transformations of criminal justice, and the role of imprisonment in democratic societies. Following an introductory theoretical section devoted to the main justifications of punishment, the course will examine different interpretations of the history of the prison and its functions from the nineteenth century to the present day. The third part of the course is designed to provide students with practical insight into the local prison system through seminars led by professionals and practitioners working in the field of penal enforcement. Course activities will also include a visit to the Vercelli District Prison (Casa Circondariale di Vercelli).

In order to achieve the learning outcomes and corresponding competences at the basic level, students are expected to demonstrate the following: 1.
(knowledge and understanding) sufficient knowledge of punishment theories and the history of prisons. 2. (applying knowledge and understanding): the ability to identify the main lines of argument and the conceptual structure of the texts. 3. (making judgements): sufficient ability to compare different positions and visions. 4. (communication skills): the ability to present the acquired knowledge clearly and accurately. 5. (learning skills): sufficient ability to analyze texts and to establish connections between the topics covered in the course.
In order to achieve the learning outcomes and corresponding competences at the advanced level, students are expected to demonstrate the following: 1. (knowledge and understanding): an in-depth knowledge of punishment theories and the history of prisons. 2. (applying knowledge and understanding): the ability to critically reconstruct the different theories, and particularly the interpretation of the available datasets. 3. (making judgements): the ability to critically compare different positions and visions. 4. (communication skills): the ability to present the acquired knowledge clearly and accurately, demonstrating full command of the relevant terminology and academic vocabulary. 5. (learning skills): a sound ability to analyse texts and to establish connections between the topics covered in the course, demonstrating awareness of the methodological issues involved in the interpretation of academic texts and the ability to undertake independent study.