Appearance in Criminal Law. Illusion and Reality in the Description of Evil

The essay focuses on how the „appearance of evil” is crucial in the definition of criminal offenses. Lawmakers describe each crime (murder, larceny, robbery, rape etc.) adopting a narrative that is highly figurative, iconographic, so to render a clear image of what is forbidden. However, the „images of evil” that compose the special part of the criminal law are just the appearance of what is wrong, since the ascription of the liability is a much more complex process. The essay analyses the relationship between the appearance of evil pictured by the offense definition and the production of effective harm legitimating punishment.