In Memoriam
| Author | Mauro Barelli,Andrew Choo,John Jackson,Stewart Field,David Nelken,Jonathan Doak |
| Published date | 01 January 2018 |
| Date | 01 January 2018 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1365712717737406 |
| Subject Matter | In Memoriam: Dr Riccardo Montana (1976–2017) |
In Memoriam: Dr Riccardo
Montana (1976–2017)
We were deeply saddened to learn of Dr Riccardo Montana’s untimely death in January 2017; many
readers of the journal will be aware of his work in in the field of comparative criminal procedure.
Riccardoobtained his first degree in Law from theUniversity of Pavia (Italy) in 2003,before completing
an LLM at CardiffLaw School in 2005. Here he went on to pursuedoctoral research underthe supervision of
ProfessorsStewart Field and David Nelken.Riccardo’s researchwas based on a socio-legal studyexploring
the working practices of the Italianprosecutor, and was based on 50 interviews with prosecutors and other
legal practitioners. During the course of thisproject, he began to develop an abiding interest in comparing
criminaljustice. More specifically,he sought touse the concept of legal culturesto understand theway crime
control agencies in different jurisdictions respond and adapt to legal and social forces.
Riccardo defended his thesis with great verve and passion in February 2009. Having already worked
as a tutor at Cardiff Law School and Homerton College, Cambridge University, he took up his first
academic post as a lecturer at Kingston University. He was appointed to a lectureship at City Law School
in 2011. Here he founded the Crime Justice and Society Research Group, which subsequently evolved
into the Centre for Crime and Justice Research. Riccardo was also coordinator of the Research Training
Programme for the School’s PhD students, and introduced a very popular module on Criminal Justice on
the LLB programme. Staff at City remember a bright and discerning scholar who supported and inspired
his students and was widely respected and popular among his colleagues. Promoted to Senior Lecturer in
2016, Riccardo made a profound contribution to the School during his six years of service.
A gifted cultural mediator, Riccardo’s visiting lectures at the University of Macerata in Italy were
highly appreciated by the students there. While his academic career was cut tragically short, his legacy as
a fast-rising researcher will continue to illuminate the field for many years to come. His research in
comparative criminal justice was original and ambitious, combining rigorous empirical methodology
with a deep understanding of legal theory and comparative legal method. He published inter alia in the
Criminal Law Forum (Montana, 2009a), the European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal
Justice (Montana, 2009b; 2012), and more recently in Evidence and Proof (Montana, 2016). At the time
of his death, he was in the final stages of a book on the role of Italian prosecutors set in a comparative
context, which he was sadly unable to complete. For those who worked with him, he was a supportive
colleague who was very determined, serious and intellectually ambitious about what he did.
Riccardo’s many friends in London, Cardiff, Italy and beyond remember a generous, thoughtful and
sociable man who had a strong social conscience. He enjoyed sports (particularly football, basketball and
rugby), politics, good food and good wine. Above all, he truly valued friendship and family, and lived his
life with compassion and dignity. Our thoughts are with his parents, his wife Nadia, and his young
daughter Sofia (born in November 2015).
Mauro Barelli, City, University of London, UK
Andrew Choo, City, University of London, UK
Jonathan Doak, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
Stewart Field, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
John Jackson, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
David Nelken, King’s College London, London, UK
The International Journalof
Evidence & Proof
2018, Vol. 22(1) 87–88
ªThe Author(s) 2017
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DOI: 10.1177/1365712717737406
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