Murder and prison criminal law: the best defence in such a thorny matter
Among the areas of expertise of ILA – International, we have prison law. In the team, we have lawyers specialising in murder cases with a long and successful track record behind them.
But beyond the victories, it is important to remember that behind every murder story there are rights to be respected. The defence of rights of the Accused is our primary focus . We defend our clients rights fearlessly without fear or favour.
There is the right of the suspect to be defended, the right of the victim’s family to keep the affair involving them confidential, there is the right to obtain justice from all those involved in a trial. There are very few law firms that protect all these rights.
Fortunately, there is still someone who respects the values, principles, morals and rights of those who live this sad affair on their skin: we are talking about the staff members of ILA, lawyers specialising in homicide and prison criminal law.
Types of homicide offences and sanctions
There is an increasing number of defendants for murder in ‘relational contexts’ among the prosecution.
Recently there has been much talk of femicide, meaning ‘the killing of a woman or girl’. Specifically then, this term identifies cases of intentional or involuntary manslaughter in which a woman is killed by a male individual for reasons based on gender.
Without wishing to refer specifically to feminicide, murder, in general, consists of ending the life of another human being; trivialising this, however, is profoundly mistaken since an effort must be made to understand what prompted such a crime. According to the Italian penal system, murder can be distinguished into 3 types:
- Voluntary manslaughter
- Involuntary murder
- Felony murder
In Italy, to date, the average sentence for voluntary manslaughter is 12.4 years, compared to a code that provides for 21 years to life imprisonment, while, for felony, the average sentence is 8 years, while the law provides for sentences ranging from 10 to 28 years imprisonment.
Lately, indeed, the conviction has begun to creep into common feeling that the State’s commitment to rehabilitating convicts is ineffective and wasteful, almost a sort of immoral gratification for offenders and a hindrance in the fight against crime; on the contrary, it constitutes a fundamental resource for returning a person to society.
Obviously, if one is faced with delicate situations such as those described above, being on the side of both the offender and the victim’s family, the assistance of a criminal lawyer specialising in the crime of murder is necessary to handle the situation in the best possible way.
Murder defence: the experience of ILA's lawyers
The associated law firm boasts lawyers of high moral standing, senior lawyers with unparalleled experience and expertise. They are lawyers who grew up in the Neapolitan criminal school, professionals who have participated in the most delicate trials before all the judicial authorities in the country.
This defence is ensured by the staff of International Lawyers Associates without seeking media resonance, not even in the case of maxi-trials, which, thanks to the invaluable contribution of these professionals, have seen entire criminal associations, mostly Camorra and Mafia-type, put on the stand.
It would be too simplistic to say that the credit or blame for why a crime becomes famous can only be attributed to the power of the media. There are, in fact, very precise characteristics that make a crime more interesting, such as, in this case, in murders the presence of a corpse. In such circumstances, in order to avoid a convoluted speculation or scandal inherent in the crime, the contribution of an important criminal lawyer accustomed to handling situations of this magnitude is essential.
It must be avoided at all costs that the scandal of the trial prevails over its proper handling!
In any case, it is worth pointing out that the lawyer’s duty is to defend everyone, both victims and perpetrators, without being able to pose an ‘ethical’ problem. The one who assumes the defence of a murderer cannot be influenced, but must try to find the path of least bloodshed for his client; a path that in these cases is most often represented by an effective technical defence based on the facts of the case and an evaluation of the investigation of the case file of the police and by getting the necessary defence experts involved be that forensic, medical or financial to give a few examples given no murder case is the same as another.
The criminal lawyer must be able to ensure that the trial is conducted with respect for the law and human dignity and that guilt is established at the end of a ‘fair trial’. In addition to this, it is of the utmost importance that one’s client is not subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment, and that his or her sentence is not decided in a TV lounge.
It is the policy of the criminal law firm International Lawyers Associates to accept, in murder trials, any assignment that requires a defence, in compliance with the well-known obligation to defend those in need, but on one condition: that there is no attempt at spectacularisation.
The defence guidelines of the senior members of International Lawyers Associates is very strict and clear. In the absence of an honest, prepared, serious, careful and successful defence, the very prerequisite for an effective defence would be lacking, and this can only be achieved, as mentioned above, without spectacle. We must at all times respect the rule of law but act fearlessly and without favour for our clients. We take pride in that goal.
Advocate Alexandro Maria Tirelli takes the view that the venue for judicial matters is the courtroom, not television or the tabloids. Murder matters must be respected and not used as a tool to gain ‘publicity’, and this applies first and foremost to lawyers, who often agree to guarantee their defence precisely in order to gain popularity thanks to the mass media and social media, ready to feed on news that causes a sensation.
This is not the case for the lawyers of International Lawyers Associates, who guarantee a defence in matters of homicide without objective limits (of the subject matter, i.e. road homicide, voluntary, felony or involuntary manslaughter) and/or subjective limits (the defence is guaranteed for and against everyone) provided, as mentioned, that one wishes to pursue a case with the utmost seriousness and confidentiality that such a delicate subject matter requires.
Seriousness, honesty and the absence of ulterior motives certainly make the difference between one defence and another, even and especially in the matter of murder. It is up to us to choose which type of defence to focus on.
No to speculation or scandal, yes to a serious and effective defence
International Lawyers Associates has offered and continues to offer its defence also in matters of terrorism, offences against the public administration, offences against the public economy, industry and commerce (including bribery and corruption) to which are added those against property, the family and the person, guaranteeing the defence of those accused of political crimes and offences against the administration of justice. We also specialise in the defence of sexual crimes and child kidnapping and human trafficking.
A defence that knows no bounds, even in matters of crime
There is no Italian bar where the lawyers of International Lawyers Associates have not proven their profound experience in the defence of matters relating to so-called prison criminal law.
This experience gained over the years is the result of sacrifice, good will, passion, and the desire to know more and do better. These skills the team of the aforementioned associated law firm has acquired over time, thanks to various specialisations and by virtue of the meticulous study of criminal law, with its continuous updates, both nationally and worldwide.
It is the policy of the criminal law firm International Lawyers Associates to accept, in murder trials, any assignment requiring a defence, in compliance with the well-known obligation to defend those in need, but on one condition: that no attempt is made to make a spectacle of oneself.