La Rivista La Legislazione penale raccoglie, principalmente, gli atti (relazioni e interventi) del primo Seminario del progetto, dal titolo L’adempimento all’ordine, tra responsabilità e obbedienza. Profili di diritto penale militare e internazionale, tenutosi a Pisa il 23 settembre 2024.

Per accedere alla sezione dedicata al progetto e consultare i contributi, clicca sul seguente link: https://www.lalegislazionepenale.eu/abide-rule-of-law-and-the-problem-of-responsible-obedience-progetto-prin-pnrr/.

Questo documento, appendice dell’e-book del progetto ABIDE di prossima pubblicazione, presenta i risultati del questionario anonimo rivolto agli operatori penitenziari.

Le risposte raccolte offrono uno sguardo diretto sulle dinamiche di autorità, ordine e obbedienza nel contesto carcerario, mettendo in luce criticità organizzative e percezioni professionali utili a comprendere più da vicino il funzionamento quotidiano dell’istituzione penitenziaria.

L’e-book finale del progetto ABIDE è disponibile per il download al seguente link: https://romatrepress.uniroma3.it/libro/obbedienza-e-responsabilita/.

Abstract

Per ‘problema dell’obbedienza responsabile’ intendiamo tutto il vasto insieme di questioni che riguardano i limiti, la struttura, e la regolazione ottimale dell’obbedienza in contesti politico-giuridici improntati ai principi dello stato di diritto e della democrazia costituzionale. Il progetto ABIDE si è posto l’obiettivo di indagare il problema dell’obbedienza responsabile in prospettiva interdisciplinare, con un focus particolare su due delle organizzazioni in cui si presenta nella sua forma più nitida: l’ordinamento militare e l’istituzione penitenziaria.

The “problem of responsible obedience” refers to the broad set of issues concerning the limits, structure, and proper regulation of obedience within political and legal systems grounded in the principles of the rule of law and constitutional democracy. The ABIDE project seeks to explore this problem from an interdisciplinary perspective, focusing in particular on two institutional contexts in which it appears most clearly: the military system and the prison system.

The following contributions address these questions from different perspectives and disciplinary approaches:

Introduction

S. Di Piazza, Believe, obey, fight

M. Brigaglia, Obedience and control: insights from the cognitive sciences

E. Stradella, (Dis)obedience to an unlawful order in the military system from a constitutional
perspective: a comparative analysis

C. Vizza, Brief remarks on Article 52 of the Italian Constitution

A. Spena, Blind, Responsible, or Tragic. Abstract Models of Obedience and Their Implications for Criminal Law

D. Notaro, ‘Responsible’ compliance with military orders. Aspects of military criminal law

L. Sergio, Fulfilment of duty and unlawful orders

R. Galasso, Duties of discipline, between blind obedience and responsible obedience: limits on the discretion of military personnel and that of the judge, in cases of disobedience and failure to comply with instructions

M. Lubrano, Disobedience in the form of failure to follow instructions: what scope is there for the particular minor nature of the offence?

V. Santoro, On the distinguishing features between the offences of disobedience (Article 173 of the Military Penal Code in Peacetime), failure to carry out an assignment (Article 117 of the Military Penal Code in Peacetime), failure to comply with instructions (Article 125 of the Military Penal Code), and failure to report for duty (Article 123 of the Military Penal Code in Peacetime)

A. Vallini, Guidance orders, coercive orders: dynamics and relevance of the defence of obedience in international criminal law

L. Acconciamessa, The (indirect and direct) application of international human rights law for the purpose of determining the (il)legality of an order

F. Ceccaroni, Neither Heroes nor Perpetrators: The Need for Punishment and the Individualisation of Criminal Responsibility in Contexts of Macro-Criminality

V. Militello, Private Orders and Corporate Criminal Liability: A Sketch of the Relationship Between Duality and Antinomy

P. Gonnella, Orders and Obedience in the Prison System

P. Prencipe, Obedience, hierarchy and fragmentation: critical aspects of the organisation of prison staff

M. Žgur, The obedience dilemma. Public administration officials between law and orders in the case of the Erased

M. Block, Interview on the problem of responsible obedience

This paper explores the role of superior orders in international criminal law, focusing on the tension between individual responsibility and obedience in contexts of systemic and institutional deviance. Particular attention is given to the presumption of manifest criminality established by the Rome Statute for crimes against humanity and genocide, analyzing its legal foundation and its relationship to macrocriminal frameworks. The paper further explores the challenges posed by the misalignment between Italian law and the Statute, ultimately advocating for the adoption of objective criteria to safeguard the coherence of the international criminal justice system, while emphasizing the need for a tailored and personalized approach to criminal responsibility that ensures proportional treatment for those carrying out such orders.