Centre

Founded in 1981, the Research Centre for Judicial Studies (Centro Studi e Ricerche sull'Ordinamento Giudiziario — CeSROG) of the University of Bologna promotes research and study initiatives in the field of the administration of justice (in Italy and also in comparative perspective), carrying on the research activity first undertaken by Professor Giuseppe Di Federico in 1964. The Centre's objectives are not only theoretical but also applicative and aim to contribute to a better administration of justice by providing the knowledge for legislative, organizational, managerial and technological innovations, as well as for training initiatives.

The Centre collaborates with another research institute working in the same field, the Institute of Legal Informatics and Judicial Systems of the National Research Council (IGSG-Cnr, https://www.igsg.cnr.it/), founded in 1992 on the initiative of Prof. Giuseppe Di Federico.

The Centre and the Institute are peculiar bodies for Italy since they operate in the field of applied law. Applied law studies, indeed, are not very common in civil law countries, unlike common law systems. Another characteristic of the Centre is the interdisciplinary nature of its research interests, which is reflected in the diverse professional skills of its members.

In recent years, the Center has expanded its interests to new areas and fields (such as the protection of victims and vulnerable people, international protection and asylum law, the prison system, etc.) also thanks to the joining of new members.

Research interests

CeSROG's research activities include several areas, among which:

a) status of public prosecutors and judges: socio-cultural origins, remuneration, career paths, extrajudicial activities, independence, ethics and discipline, recruitment, training, and liability;

b) high Council of the Judiciary (CSM): composition, functions, decision-making process;

c) italian Constitutional Court: functioning, decisions, and impact on the political system;

d) judicial ethics and disciplinary responsibility of judges and prosecutors, with particular reference to decisions of the Disciplinary Commission of the CSM;

e) sociological studies of deviance and analysis of criminal phenomena;

f) restorative justice and the role of the victim;

g) justice and immigration: analysis of the judge's role in protecting the rights of migrants;

h) legal professions between present and future;

i) structures supporting judicial offices: organizational and technological innovations for a more efficient justice system;

j) new technologies and AI in the justice system;

k) analysis and evaluation of public policies in the judicial system;

l) alternative dispute resolution mechanisms: conflict management techniques and new application perspectives;

m) criminal justice: criminal proceedings and civil rights, monitoring the application of the Code of Criminal Procedure;

n) relationship between media and justice;

o) reform processes within the judicial administration.