Against the Rising Tide of Crime: Cesare Lombroso and Control of the “Dangerous Classes” in Italy, 1861-1940

Abstract

In 1879, shortly after the publication of the first edition of his well-known and provocative book, L'uomo delinquente [published in English as Criminal Man (1911)], 1 Cesare Lombroso, in his "minor" work entitled Sull'incremento del delitto in Italia e dei mezzi per arrestarlo [ On the Increase of Crime in Italy and the Means to Stop it] warned readers that: "the tide of crime is increasingly rising, and threatens to submerge civilisation, if no one thinks about building a dam to stop it". 2 The battle against crime seemed to Lombroso's eyes unfair if fought without the necessary tools, like a defenceless man in the face of a natural disaster. Lombroso's opinion was, however, not an isolated one: after the unification of Italy in 1861, there had followed a period of emergency stemming from gradual but inexorable migration from the countryside to the cities, which became increasingly crowded with social outcasts that would populate the ranks of what would become known as the "dangerous classes". 3 This term came to refer to the great multitude of robbers, prostitutes, "subversives" and other common inhabitants of inner-city areas that, thanks to a certain literary imagery, became places of perdition and immorality. 4

“Social malaise... demonic agitation:” anarchism according to the criminology of the French physician Alexandre Lacassagne

“…This conclusion served as the basis for the theory of “innate delinquency,” an expression used in allusion to individuals predisposed to the “world of crime.” However, the idea of atavism was harshly criticized by his opponents and was quickly abandoned. In later publications, Lombroso put forward some very eclectic etiological explanations for crime, which included organic, climatic, geographical, and social factors (Rafter, Posick, Rocque, 2016, p.70; Musumeci, 2018 , p.86).…”

The past is prologue: Towards a historico-narrative approach at the intersection of historical criminology and narrative criminology

“…An abolitionist taking a historico-narrative approach to the (relatively recent) history of policing may find a new avenue to challenge the prevailing narrative that modern police are an immutable 'constant' that are necessary to the survival of human civilisation (Channing, 2015). The anti-racist advocate who does the same may look to the flawed narratives on atavism promoted by Cesare Lombroso, and in doing so challenge the pseudo-scientific basis for modern scientific racism -and, in particular, the repercussions that criminological 'stories' like those pushed by Lombroso have historically had on minority relationships with the criminal justice system (Musumeci, 2018). The impact of taking a historico-narrative approach to these subjects goes beyond a simple appreciation of the history of these explanatory narratives, however.…”

6 Reassessing the legacy of Cesare Lombroso

“…Reassessing the legacy of Cesare Lombroso: Criminal anthropology in the expert testimony of Mario Carrara, 1910Carrara, -1930 than finding its way into the criminal policy of Mussolini's regime, Lombroso's ideas were distorted by the Fascist government for its own political ends to the point of unrecognisability. 4 This chapter seeks to contribute to this ongoing debate on Cesare Lombroso's controversial legacy by assessing the influence of Lombrosian forensic psychiatrists in Italian court cases of murder in the first decades of the twentieth century, an aspect which has been totally neglected in previous research. In so doing, it attempts to shed light on the fate of criminal anthropology after Lombroso's death and the relationship of the Lombrosian school with the Fascist regime.…”