Introduction Legal psychology ( psicologia giuridica ) stands at the crossroads of law and human behavior. While modern forensic psychology often focuses on eyewitness testimony or criminal profiling, the theoretical and clinical roots of the discipline in Europe—particularly in Italy—were shaped profoundly by the work of Fiorello Di Tullio (1897–1977). Often overshadowed by Cesare Lombroso’s biological determinism, Di Tullio introduced a more dynamic, holistic, and psychologically nuanced model of criminality. His work redefined the expert’s role in court and laid the groundwork for what we now call clinical criminology and judicial psychology . The Shift from Biological Positivism to Clinical Psychology Before Di Tullio, Italian legal psychology was dominated by the positivist school, which attributed criminal behavior almost exclusively to atavistic, anthropological, or physical traits. Lombroso’s "born criminal" suggested that biology was destiny.
Introduction Legal psychology ( psicologia giuridica ) stands at the crossroads of law and human behavior. While modern forensic psychology often focuses on eyewitness testimony or criminal profiling, the theoretical and clinical roots of the discipline in Europe—particularly in Italy—were shaped profoundly by the work of Fiorello Di Tullio (1897–1977). Often overshadowed by Cesare Lombroso’s biological determinism, Di Tullio introduced a more dynamic, holistic, and psychologically nuanced model of criminality. His work redefined the expert’s role in court and laid the groundwork for what we now call clinical criminology and judicial psychology . The Shift from Biological Positivism to Clinical Psychology Before Di Tullio, Italian legal psychology was dominated by the positivist school, which attributed criminal behavior almost exclusively to atavistic, anthropological, or physical traits. Lombroso’s "born criminal" suggested that biology was destiny.
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