Person
RUGGIERI FRANCESCA GISELLA ZOE
Docenti di ruolo di Ia fascia
Course Catalogue:
Communications
Overview
Formerly a judicial magistrate (serving as both pretore and Public Prosecutor) and a practising lawyer, Francesca Ruggieri has consistently drawn on her fifteen years of professional experience in her academic research.
Her early work focused on the much-debated judicial oversight powers of the judge for preliminary investigations (giudice per le indagini preliminari), anticipating subsequent reforms separating this role from that of the judge at the preliminary hearing. She later examined the distinctive features and legal nature of telephone interceptions in light of the sanction of inadmissibility for use (inutilizzabilità). Her analysis of the Constitutional Court’s reasoning in criminal procedure led her to explore the constitutional constraints of the criminal justice system. Trained as a comparative scholar, particularly in German-language criminal procedural law, she has investigated both synchronic and diachronic dimensions of criminal proceedings, extending her interests to advanced forms of cross-border judicial cooperation, including the European Public Prosecutor ‘s Office
More recently, as Principal Investigator of the local research unit, she has participated in two major competitively funded projects on the forensic metrology and criteria for prioritising criminal prosecution.
She has devoted particular attention to teaching, integrating her professional experience into her academic practice, including teaching criminal proceedings involving legal entities. She is currently preparing the third edition of her criminal procedure textbook and has recently explored effective ways of developing the skills required to use generative AI critically and responsibly.
She is also active in continuing professional education for lawyers and magistrates. Over the past four years, she has served as Head of Department, contributing to the consolidation of the Department of Law, Economics and Cultures.
Description
2025- Member of the Commission for Quality Assurance in Research (AiQuaR) of the Department
2025- 2021 Director Department of Law, Economics and Culture (Chiostro di S. Abbondio
via S. Abbondio, 12 - 22100 ) University of Study of Insubria, Como-Varese,
2021-2019 Member of the University Disciplinary Board for Full Professors
2021-2019 Rector’s Delegate for Research for the Department of Law, Economics and Cultures (DiDec)
2021-2018 Member of the Single Guarantee Committee (Comitato Unico di Garanzia – CUG)
2016-2013 Coordinator of the Commission for Quality Assurance in Research (AiQuaR) of the Department
2014-2008 Member of the Board (and Secretary) of the Association of the Criminal Process Scholars - Gian Domenico Pisapia (http://www.studiosiprocessopenale.it)
2008-2006 Member of “Committee for Reform Criminal Procedural Code”
2004-2012 Lawyer
Since 2004 Full professor in Criminal Procedure, (Faculty of Law) Department of Law, Economics and Culture
2004-1998 Associated professor in criminal procedure, Faculty of Law, University of Insubria (Como)
1998-1993 Assistant professor/Lecturer at the Law Faculty in Criminal Procedure. University of Trento
1993-1986 Judge and Public Prosecutor
1993-1984 Assistant Fellow at the Faculty of Law, University of Milan, Comparative Criminal Procedure
2004 -2005
Local scientific coordinator research unit of the University of Insubria, Member of the biennial Research Programme of National Interest (RPNI 2003) on “Scientific development and criminal proceedings: new frontier of technological research in gathering and administering evidence”, national scientific coordinator prof. Chiavario topic:”. “The different forms of "interception" of fundamental rights of the person and the right to obtain evidence”.
2006-2007
Local scientific coordinator research unit of the University of Insubria, Member of the biennial Research Programme of National Interest (RPNI 2005), on “Criminal law and the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe”, national scientific coordinator prof. Picotti, topic: “European Public Prosecutor and the movement of evidence within the European Union from the point of view of the Constitutional Pact”,.
2008-2010
Local scientific coordinator research unit of the University of Insubria Member of the biennial Research Programme of National Interest (RPNI 2007), “Development of criminal law in the areas of European interest in the perspective of the new reform proposals of the Treaties”, national scientific coordinator prof. Picotti, topic: “Communicative and not communicative Data and the movement of digital evidence in the European judicial area”
2010-2012
Scientific coordinator of the biennial Research Programme, funded by the European Union Commission, No. 2009/JPEN/JUST/AG0635-30-CE-0369604/00-12, entitled “Training action for legal practitioners: European Union, fundamental rights and judicial cooperation in criminal matters through law and language”
2023-2025
Local scientific coordinator research unit of the University of Insubria, Member of the biennial Research "Toward a more reliable scientific evidence by means of forensic
metrology. A novel approach against miscarriage of justice "((2022C9STX2)
2023-2025
Local scientific coordinator research unit of the University of Insubria, Member of the biennial Research "RIORITY- Shaping the Prosecution Organisational Model of Criminal (Prin PNRR 2022, CUP D53D23022410001)"
Since
2001- Founder and Member of Scientific Committee of Centro di diritto penale europeo di Como Institut for Research into European Criminal Law (www.dirittopenaleeuropeo.it)
2003- Coordinator of Juvenil Justice Section of Cassazione penale
2005- Coordinator of International Penal Law Section of Cassazione penale
2006- Member of Scientific Committee of CRIMINALIA, Annuario di scienze penalistiche (ETS ed.)
2007-2019 Member of Editorial Board of “Diritto penale contemporaneo” (http://www.penalecontemporaneo.it)
2013 Membership in the Register of Auditors MIUR (peer review of scientific proposals)
2015 Membership of the Register of European Research Councils (peer review of scientific proposals)
2020-Member of Scientific Committee of “Sistema penale” (https://sistemapenale.it/it)
2026- Member of the Scientific Committee of the multidisciplinary journal Umanità e Penalità (https://www.umanitapenalita.org/chi-siamo/)
Peer reviewer for the journals Legislazione Penale, Rivista Italiana di Diritto e Procedura Penale, and Giurisprudenza Italiana, as well as for the Criminal Procedure Law series published by Giappichelli Editore.
2025- 2021 Director Department of Law, Economics and Culture (Chiostro di S. Abbondio
via S. Abbondio, 12 - 22100 ) University of Study of Insubria, Como-Varese,
2021-2019 Member of the University Disciplinary Board for Full Professors
2021-2019 Rector’s Delegate for Research for the Department of Law, Economics and Cultures (DiDec)
2021-2018 Member of the Single Guarantee Committee (Comitato Unico di Garanzia – CUG)
2016-2013 Coordinator of the Commission for Quality Assurance in Research (AiQuaR) of the Department
2014-2008 Member of the Board (and Secretary) of the Association of the Criminal Process Scholars - Gian Domenico Pisapia (http://www.studiosiprocessopenale.it)
2008-2006 Member of “Committee for Reform Criminal Procedural Code”
2004-2012 Lawyer
Since 2004 Full professor in Criminal Procedure, (Faculty of Law) Department of Law, Economics and Culture
2004-1998 Associated professor in criminal procedure, Faculty of Law, University of Insubria (Como)
1998-1993 Assistant professor/Lecturer at the Law Faculty in Criminal Procedure. University of Trento
1993-1986 Judge and Public Prosecutor
1993-1984 Assistant Fellow at the Faculty of Law, University of Milan, Comparative Criminal Procedure
2004 -2005
Local scientific coordinator research unit of the University of Insubria, Member of the biennial Research Programme of National Interest (RPNI 2003) on “Scientific development and criminal proceedings: new frontier of technological research in gathering and administering evidence”, national scientific coordinator prof. Chiavario topic:”. “The different forms of "interception" of fundamental rights of the person and the right to obtain evidence”.
2006-2007
Local scientific coordinator research unit of the University of Insubria, Member of the biennial Research Programme of National Interest (RPNI 2005), on “Criminal law and the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe”, national scientific coordinator prof. Picotti, topic: “European Public Prosecutor and the movement of evidence within the European Union from the point of view of the Constitutional Pact”,.
2008-2010
Local scientific coordinator research unit of the University of Insubria Member of the biennial Research Programme of National Interest (RPNI 2007), “Development of criminal law in the areas of European interest in the perspective of the new reform proposals of the Treaties”, national scientific coordinator prof. Picotti, topic: “Communicative and not communicative Data and the movement of digital evidence in the European judicial area”
2010-2012
Scientific coordinator of the biennial Research Programme, funded by the European Union Commission, No. 2009/JPEN/JUST/AG0635-30-CE-0369604/00-12, entitled “Training action for legal practitioners: European Union, fundamental rights and judicial cooperation in criminal matters through law and language”
2023-2025
Local scientific coordinator research unit of the University of Insubria, Member of the biennial Research "Toward a more reliable scientific evidence by means of forensic
metrology. A novel approach against miscarriage of justice "((2022C9STX2)
2023-2025
Local scientific coordinator research unit of the University of Insubria, Member of the biennial Research "RIORITY- Shaping the Prosecution Organisational Model of Criminal (Prin PNRR 2022, CUP D53D23022410001)"
Since
2001- Founder and Member of Scientific Committee of Centro di diritto penale europeo di Como Institut for Research into European Criminal Law (www.dirittopenaleeuropeo.it)
2003- Coordinator of Juvenil Justice Section of Cassazione penale
2005- Coordinator of International Penal Law Section of Cassazione penale
2006- Member of Scientific Committee of CRIMINALIA, Annuario di scienze penalistiche (ETS ed.)
2007-2019 Member of Editorial Board of “Diritto penale contemporaneo” (http://www.penalecontemporaneo.it)
2013 Membership in the Register of Auditors MIUR (peer review of scientific proposals)
2015 Membership of the Register of European Research Councils (peer review of scientific proposals)
2020-Member of Scientific Committee of “Sistema penale” (https://sistemapenale.it/it)
2026- Member of the Scientific Committee of the multidisciplinary journal Umanità e Penalità (https://www.umanitapenalita.org/chi-siamo/)
Peer reviewer for the journals Legislazione Penale, Rivista Italiana di Diritto e Procedura Penale, and Giurisprudenza Italiana, as well as for the Criminal Procedure Law series published by Giappichelli Editore.
Concepts (3)
Keywords (2)
DIRITTO PROCESSUALE PENALE ANCHE DI DIRITTO COMPARATO
ORGANIZZAZIONE DELLA MAGISTRATURA
No Results Found
Overview (8)
FORMS OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: BOOK XI OF THE CODE, THE PRINCIPLE OF MUTUAL RECOGNITION, AND THE EUROPEAN PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE. Within the context of a broader interest in international criminal cooperation—recently highlighted by the study of the (new) Book XI of the Code of Criminal Procedure—this research has examined the instruments established by the Union for transnational and/or cross-border investigations, ranging from the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) to the European Investigation Order (EIO). It has explored the concept aptly termed "European criminal procedure" and focused, in particular, on the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), which has recently become operational. The activities and organization of the EPPO—a subject of extensive analysis since the institution's inception, including within the framework of a nationally funded project (PRIN 2005)—have served as the basis for broader reflections regarding the necessary defense safeguards and due process requirements that should accompany the investigations and prosecutions conducted by the European prosecutor before national courts. The studies also addressed the Union's financial interests—specifically the assets the EPPO was established to protect—and the role of Eurojust, the body from which the EPPO originated pursuant to Article 86 of the TFEU.
LAW AND LANGUAGE The boundary separating comparative legal studies from translation studies is a very fine one. It is self-evident that a scholar of a foreign legal system can only compare it with their own if they possess a proficient command of the language and legal concepts of both countries. However, approaching law and language from the perspective of translation also yields material for inquiries more specifically focused on procedural practice. Within the framework of the European project titled “Training for legal practitioners: European Union, fundamental rights, and judicial cooperation in criminal matters through law and language,” seminars held at the various participating universities led to a series of publications—including some in French and English—focusing on the various facets of multilingualism within European criminal procedural law. This context provided the setting for an examination of, among other things, the different language versions of Article 86 of the TFEU.
MICRO-SYSTEMS: JUVENILES, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE, AND LEGISLATIVE DECREE 231/2001
The various micro-systems under study range from juvenile proceedings to the contemporary phenomena of restorative justice and corporate criminal liability.
Following initial work on the concept of "diversion," a focus on juvenile proceedings—including the institutional perspective and the resulting experimental practices, particularly regarding the principle of mandatory prosecution (13)—leads to an examination of the complex experience of restorative justice, including within the research center with which the author is affiliated.
The analysis of the procedural framework established by Legislative Decree No. 231/2001 synthesizes some of the decree's most controversial provisions regarding precautionary measures involving assets (*cautele reali*). It also evaluates the practical application of administrative liability arising from offenses, focusing specifically on the capacity of public prosecutor's offices to simultaneously prosecute both natural persons and legal entities.
SYNCHRONIC AND DIACHRONIC COMPARISON. A passion for the study of comparative law—particularly regarding the German system (*Strafprozessordnung*)—originated with the author’s doctoral thesis on the role of the public prosecutor in Italy and Germany. This interest has led to works on *Grossverfahren* (mega-trials), the lay-judge system and appellate procedures, and court-appointed defense, as well as an introductory overview of the German system intended for a broader audience. Comparative analysis—extending beyond the German legal order—characterizes encyclopedia entries on "criminal charges" and "evidence," research on wiretapping and personal liberty (both prepared for the ASPP annual conference), and studies on court organization and the (consequent) theory of precedent. A distinct yet complementary piece—aligned with the teaching of Swiss criminal procedure—examines the new Swiss federal code of criminal procedure. From a diachronic perspective, the study of the origins of the jury system and the principle of the judge’s free evaluation of evidence has allowed for a critical re-examination of common assumptions regarding this well-trodden subject; meanwhile, an analysis of the Ustica tragedy—based on the records of the decades-long trials that followed—has highlighted the investigative procedures characteristic of the previous code of criminal procedure.
TEACHING METHODOLOGY
The special focus on teaching methodologies—initially explored in a volume of conceptual outlines for drafting procedural documents (containing no pre-existing drafts) and subsequently continued in more traditional volumes featuring curated collections of legal filings for bar and judicial exams—culminates in a textbook. Now in its third edition, this manual aims to clearly distinguish between sources and exegesis, and between legal rules and their application. This textbook-based work is complemented by analyses—including statistical studies—of how knowledge regarding criminal procedural law and related subjects is imparted in Italian universities, as well as by the research findings.
THE CONSTITUTION AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
After discussing a ruling on the merits concerning "constitutionally oriented" interpretation—issued immediately following the amendment to Article 111 of the Constitution—the Constitutional Charter, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, served as the lens for analyzing the *rito abbreviato* (summary judgment procedure). This analysis was conducted both to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Constitutional Court and for the drafting of a recent monograph (2021) aimed at reconstructing key strands of the Court’s jurisprudence regarding criminal proceedings.
Wiretapping, Inadmissibility, and the Principle of Free Evaluation of Evidence – Central to the PRIN 2003 and PRIN 2007 projects, the legal framework governing the interception of communications originated in a 2000 study on routing-based interception and was the subject of a second monograph (2001); this study of a specific and intrusive investigative tool provided an opportunity to examine in depth the doctrine of inadmissibility—a principle first established by the Constitutional Court precisely in the context of wiretapping. The limitations and potential of the “seizure of voices” were examined against the backdrop of subsequent legislative developments, and the analysis was eventually broadened to encompass the use of new information technologies during the investigative phase more generally. The “sanction” provided for in Article 191 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is addressed in all its facets—particularly regarding case law—in the Giarda-Spangher commentary, the fifth edition of which is forthcoming. Last but not least, research into the evaluation of evidence—specifically concerning the principle of free evaluation of evidence, including from a comparative law perspective—also falls within this area of study.
nterest in the *subjects of the legal process* is primarily evident in early works; unlike other lines of research, this topic was not tied to specific projects but was instead pursued through the study of comparative and foreign law. A commentary on a European Court of Human Rights ruling regarding the specific impartiality of the investigating judge—one of the author's earliest works from the 1980s—anticipates themes later explored in the first monograph, published a decade later, which focused on the jurisdiction of judicial oversight. Commentaries on new code provisions concerning "contingent subjects" in the early 1990s were accompanied by an in-depth analysis of the role of the public prosecutor; this figure was examined from both structural and functional perspectives in entries written for the *Annali dell’Enciclopedia del diritto* during the first decade of the new millennium. The role of the prosecution representative lies at the heart of more recent reflections within the "Priority" project
No Results Found
Other research activities (3)
EU Succession Regulation: First Decade of Application, Strengths, Challenges, Future Outlooks
Progetti di ricerca UE - Altri Programmi
Project
participant
2025
24 months
PRIORITY. Shaping the Prosecution Organisational Model of Criminal Reports
Progetti di Ricerca Nazionali - MIUR - PRIN
Project
Scientific Manager
2023
24 months
Toward a more reliable scientific evidence by means of forensic metrology. A novel approach against miscarriage of justice
Progetti di Ricerca Nazionali - MIUR - PRIN
Project
Scientific Manager
2023
24 months
No Results Found
Publications (132)
Editorial Board
rp1 – Direttore/Direttrice di rivista, collana editoriale, enciclopedia - CRIMINALIA - ISSN: 1972-3857 - Pisa : ETS edizioni (2006 - )
2006
No Results Found
Doctoral college (20)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
DIRITTO E SCIENZE UMANE-2025
(cycle: 41 - Year: 2025
2025
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
DIRITTO E SCIENZE UMANE-2024
(cycle: 40 - Year: 2024
2024
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
DIRITTO E SCIENZE UMANE-2023
(cycle: 39 - Year: 2023
2023
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
DIRITTO E SCIENZE UMANE-2022
(cycle: 38 - Year: 2022
2022
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
DIRITTO E SCIENZE UMANE-2021
(cycle: 37 - Year: 2021
2021
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
DIRITTO E SCIENZE UMANE-2020
(cycle: 36 - Year: 2020
2020
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
DIRITTO E SCIENZE UMANE-2019
(cycle: 35 - Year: 2019
2019
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
DIRITTO E SCIENZE UMANE-2018
(cycle: 34 - Year: 2018
2018
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
DIRITTO E SCIENZE UMANE-2017
(cycle: 33 - Year: 2017
2017
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
DIRITTO E SCIENZE UMANE-2013
(cycle: 29 - Year: 2013
2013
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
STORIA E DOTTRINA DELLE ISTITUZIONI-2012
(cycle: 28 - Year: 2012
2012
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
STORIA E DOTTRINA DELLE ISTITUZIONI-2011
(cycle: 27 - Year: 2011
2011
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
STORIA E DOTTRINA DELLE ISTITUZIONI-2010
(cycle: 26 - Year: 2010
2010
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
STORIA E DOTTRINA DELLE ISTITUZIONI-2009
(cycle: 25 - Year: 2009
2009
)
Università degli Studi di MILANO-BICOCCA -
SCIENZE GIURIDICHE-2008
(cycle: 24 - Year: 2008
2008
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
STORIA E DOTTRINA DELLE ISTITUZIONI-2008
(cycle: 24 - Year: 2008
2008
)
Università degli Studi di MILANO-BICOCCA -
SCIENZE GIURIDICHE-2007
(cycle: 23 - Year: 2007
2007
)
Università degli Studi INSUBRIA Varese-Como -
STORIA E DOTTRINA DELLE ISTITUZIONI-2007
(cycle: 23 - Year: 2007
2007
)
Università degli Studi di MILANO-BICOCCA -
SCIENZE GIURIDICHE-2006
(cycle: 22 - Year: 2006
2006
)
Università degli Studi di MILANO-BICOCCA -
SCIENZE GIURIDICHE-2005
(cycle: 21 - Year: 2005
2005
)
No Results Found
Courses (3)
6 CFU
35 hours
GIU0956 - Diritto penale e processuale penale svizzero
Secondo Semestre (27/02/2027 - 25/05/2027)
- 2026
8 CFU
50 hours
3 CFU
21 hours
No Results Found
Third Mission (8)
Organizzazione di iniziative di valorizzazione, consultazione e condivisione della ricerca (Partecipante)
- Percorso di Educazione Finanziaria per le PMI.
"Le PMI tra competitività e sostenibilità"
Università degli Studi dell'Insubria sede di Como Via Sant'Abbondio 12 (30/05/2024 - 30/05/2024) 20240530
DIPARTIMENTO DI DIRITTO, ECONOMIA E CULTURE
DIPARTIMENTO DI ECONOMIA
Partecipazione alla formulazione di programmi di pubblico interesse (Partecipante)
- L’economia illecita fra diritto e cronaca. Uno sguardo al territorio insubre_(sede di Como)
Como, Aula Magna, Chiostro di s. Abbondio (15/03/2024 - 15/03/2024) 20240315
DIPARTIMENTO DI DIRITTO, ECONOMIA E CULTURE
DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE TEORICHE E APPLICATE
Organizzazione di iniziative di valorizzazione, consultazione e condivisione della ricerca (Relatore/Relatrice)
- Progetto “Prevenzione e contrasto alla violenza contro le donne tra diritto e cultura”
Como e Varese (02/11/2023 - 30/03/2025) 20231102
DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE UMANE E DELL’INNOVAZIONE PER IL TERRITORIO
DIPARTIMENTO DI DIRITTO, ECONOMIA E CULTURE
Organizzazione di concerti, spettacoli teatrali, rassegne cinematografiche, eventi sportivi, mostre, esposizioni e altri eventi di pubblica utilità aperti alla comunità (Responsabile scientifico)
- Le «Giornate di Sant'Abbondio» vogliono essere l'occasione per attivare con il territorio un'interlocuzione su temi di stretta attualità e rilevanza
città di Como (26/04/2023 - 17/05/2023) 20230426
DIPARTIMENTO DI DIRITTO, ECONOMIA E CULTURE
Organizzazione di iniziative di valorizzazione, consultazione e condivisione della ricerca (Discussant)
- Ucraina e Federazione Russa
Tavola rotonda sulle cause e conseguenze linguistiche,religiose ed economiche della guerra in atto
Università degli Studi dell'Insubria (31/03/2022 - 31/03/2022) 20220331
DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE UMANE E DELL’INNOVAZIONE PER IL TERRITORIO
DIPARTIMENTO DI DIRITTO, ECONOMIA E CULTURE
Organizzazione di iniziative di valorizzazione, consultazione e condivisione della ricerca (Partecipante)
- Lettura Annuale Centro Studi sulla Giustizia riparativa e la mediazione
Università degli Studi dell'Insubria - Como (18/11/2021 - ) 20211118
DIPARTIMENTO DI DIRITTO, ECONOMIA E CULTURE
Organizzazione di iniziative di valorizzazione, consultazione e condivisione della ricerca (Relatore/Relatrice)
- Progetto Prevenzione e contrasto alla violenza contro le donne tra diritto e cultura
Como, Varese, on-line (08/11/2021 - ) 20211108
DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE UMANE E DELL’INNOVAZIONE PER IL TERRITORIO
DIPARTIMENTO DI DIRITTO, ECONOMIA E CULTURE
Organizzazione di iniziative di valorizzazione, consultazione e condivisione della ricerca (Discussant)
- Giornata internazionale per l'eliminazione della violenza contro le donne - incontro con l’Onorevole Licia Badesi autrice del Libro “Per gelosia d’amore”
Webinar (25/11/2020 - 25/11/2020) 20201125
DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE UMANE E DELL’INNOVAZIONE PER IL TERRITORIO
DIPARTIMENTO DI DIRITTO, ECONOMIA E CULTURE
No Results Found