Was born in Buenos Aires (Argentina) where he got first his BA and then a Ph D in Law and Social Sciences.

In 1967 he obtained the Diploma in Criminology, at the Institute of Criminology (Cambridge, UK) and then the Perfezionamento in Diritto Penale e Criminologia at the University of Roma (Italy).

Later, he spent a long period at the University of Cologne (Federal Republic of Germany), where thanks to a fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung at the Kriminologischesforschungsstelle he received a second Ph D in Social Sciences (Kriminalsoziologie).

From then onward, he passed to Spain, where in the University of Salamanca he got his third Ph D, this time on Law.

At now, he is full professor at the Department of Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences of the University of Barcelone (Spain) and also Chief of Studies of Criminology and Criminal Policy.

He has been a assistant researcher at the United Nations Social Defense Institute (Rome, Italy).

Associate Professor in Criminal Law at the University of Buenos Aires and Gastprofessor at the University of Cologne.

Between 1993 and 1995, he was Scientific Director of the International Institute for the Sociology of Law (Oñati, Spain)and has been also, visiting professor at several italian, german and latinamerican universities.

He is author of more than 200 articles in various european and american journals on sociology of law and politics, criminal law and criminology as well 23 books in these areas, but also in different others cultural fields.

He is a member of sundries international boards of specialised journals.