Goals of Civil Justice When Nothing Works: The Case of Italy

Abstract

This chapter addresses some critical aspects of Italian civil justice with the view to clarifying the reasons why the goals it is supposed or expected to reach are difficult to identify. For those who are in charge of a justice system faced with a longstanding ‘identity crisis’, known worldwide for the unbearable length of its judicial proceedings and constantly in a state of emergency, the search for ‘exit strategies’ seems to be an absolute priority, one that overshadows the importance of a clear vision of the goals civil justice is intended to pursue. But short of such a vision, no reforms will be able to reverse the present situation.