Uomini che uccidono le donne. Processi e misure di clemenza in Italia tra anni ’40 e ‘50

This essay analyses a number of feminicide trials and subsequent clemency measures that took place in Italy in the 1940s and 1950s. Verdicts and requests for clemency are used to reconstruct the circumstances of such homicides, the motivations brought forth by husbands, former fiancés and boyfriends, or sons for explaining and justifying feminicide, the actions and the victims’ actions and behaviour, the motivations for convictions, and the mitigating circumstances granted to felons by the courts. Furthermore, the court files regarding clemency shed light on the opinions of family members, neighbours, local authorities, and institutional representatives (such as members of law enforcement, physicians at mental institutions, and prison directors) on the feminicides and their perpetrators. Lastly, they allow for a partial reconstruction of the impact of these violent crimes on families and local communities.