Ateneo - UPO

The course aims to consolidate the preparation on the general part of criminal law
and to tackle the study of the special part.

For attending students lessons notes
For not attending students
Pellissero - Bartoli - Seminara,Diritto penale. Lineamenti di parte speciale, Giappichelli, 2022
and for the students of Advanced Criminal Law cap. I and II di Ambrosetti-Ronco-Mezzetti, Diritto penale dell'economia, Zanichelli, 2022

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course, students will acquire the necessary knowledge to understand
the ‘special part’ of criminal law. Students, therefore, will be able to understand the
relationships between risk society and legal sciences, with a special focus on the role of
criminal law in relation to historic changes in contemporary society (in particular, industrial
development and toxic substances; technological risk; crisis of financial capitalism).
Students will also learn about the main issues related to criminal law starting from the
difficult relationship between freedom and safety; in this perspective, the management of the
Covid-19 health emergency, both inside and outside prisons, will also be analysed. From
this viewpoint, students will get an in-depth analysis of issues such as the role of science in
judgements and of the attempts to make the key categories (causation, guilt, intention) more
flexible to respond to the pressing needs of our time. The course will also explore the key
topics of modern criminal law, such as the criminal law of complex organisations and
corruption, through the analysis of the latest regulatory and case law developments.
ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course, students will have acquired the ability to apply the categories
and institutes studied to concrete cases. Particularly, students will be able to: understand the
fundamental issues underlying the use of criminal law as an instrument; evaluate the
existing legislation and the jurisprudential rulings based on the basis of the fundamental
principles of criminal law; apply the fundamental legal categories of criminal law (causal
nexus, malice, negligence) to complex cases (e.g. concerning toxic substances) requiring
difficult practical resolutions; deal, from a political-criminal perspective, with the most
topical issues and the choices made by the legislator; master the knowledge acquired,
identifying the practical implications.
AUTONOMY OF JUDGMENT
Since part of the lectures is focused on the analysis of critical issues that have not been
solved or addressed by case law yet, students will develop their own judgement on these
matters, by identifying the solutions that are most compliant with the constitutional
principles and the reform prospects of this subject.

Attendance is highly recommended. The study of the subject is closely connected with
the fundamentals of the general part of criminal law. Student are therefore expected to have
a basic knowledge of criminal law. However, a certain cultural readiness for critical
reflection on the criminal question is welcome.
Futher information and any updates can be found on the lecturer’s web page.

Oral lesson and discussion about jurisprudence

No

Oral exam

First part

- crimes against the public administration with particular regard to corruption
- crimes against the administration of justice
- crimes against public order (with particular attention to association crimes)
- crimes against the person (with attention to the multicultural problems that are
often connected to these crimes)
- crimes against property
Particular attention will be given to the relationship between risk society and
criminal law, deepening the essential problems of environmental criminal law.
A specific focus will be dedicated to medical liability.
Second part
White collar crimes

This specialist course in Criminal Law aims to consolidate the basic concepts that
students have already learnt in the so-called general part, and to guide them through a
critical analysis of the ‘special part’. The aim of the course is to make a conscious approach
to criminal matters, accompanied by basic theoretical apparatus necessary for the
interpretation of each criminal offence.