3. What is crime?

Criminology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Case ◽  
Phil Johnson ◽  
David Manlow ◽  
Roger Smith ◽  
Kate Williams
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Harm Principle ◽  
Social Harm ◽  
International Human Rights ◽  
Social Construct ◽  
International Human ◽  
The Harm Principle

This chapter explains what crime is and what sorts of activities are criminalised and why. It begins by considering how society decides exactly which activities should be classed as crimes and goes on to discuss crime from an international human rights perspective. It then looks at crime as a social construct and its relation to deviance, the reasons why some actions are criminalised, the harm principle, and how crime differs from social harm. It also examines whether we need the criminal law in order to hold people to account and punish them, or whether a system designed to deal with any harm caused without apportioning blame would be more effective in ensuring safe and content communities.

scholarly journals THE USE OF FLOGGING AS A PUNISHMENT IN SAUDI ARABIA FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-102
Author(s):  
Hind Sebar ◽  
Shahrul Mizan Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Islamic Law ◽  
International Human Rights Law ◽  
Human Rights Law ◽  
International Human Rights ◽  
International Human ◽  
Legal Procedures ◽  
Made In

Flogging is one of the most widely-used corporal punishments in Islamic penology. Most countries that practice Islamic criminal law use flogging to punish a variety of crimes and offenses. Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that use flogging to punish various crimes and has faced immense backlash from the international community for gross violation of human rights. The goal of this article is to investigate the implementation of flogging as a punishment in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, it also examines how international human rights law has contributed to limiting flogging as a form of criminal punishment. This study has critically analysed several human rights documents in order to understand how flogging is viewed under international human rights law if compared to the position under the Shari‘ah. Focus on the implementation of flogging in Saudi Arabia is made in particular. In addition, it is found that the application of flogging in Saudi Arabia is overused and is uncodified. Hence, the article signifies the necessity of codifying Islamic law to ensure fair legal procedures. Interestingly, a recent announcement that abolishes flogging as a common form of punishment, indicates the willingness of the kingdom to implement judicial reforms, thereby creating a ray of hope in the form of amendment of laws.

scholarly journals HUMAN RIGHTS PERSPECTIVES ON ISSUES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ISLAMIC CRIMINAL LAW IN MALAYSIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-74
Author(s):  
MOHD HISHAM MOHD KAMAL
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Criminal Procedure ◽  
International Human Rights Law ◽  
Human Rights Law ◽  
Philosophy Of Nature ◽  
International Human Rights ◽  
Time Period ◽  
International Human

 This paper discusses the implementation of Islamic Criminal Law in Malaysia from the human rights perspectives. It looks at Syariah Criminal Offences Enactments and Syariah Criminal Procedure Enactments of States forming the Federation, and deals with the issues of the victimless Syariah offences of khalwat, fornication and drinking intoxicants, determining whether such criminalization is compatible with human rights. Discussion also deals with the issues of sanction and procedures, in finding out the extent to which Malaysia is complying with its International Human Rights Law obligations, if there is any. This paper finds that the Syariah statutory provisions are compatible with the human rights concept. In some extends, Syariah law can explore law uncertainty, because referring to God’s law not nature law. Most of human rights concept have come from the philosophy of nature law. Thus, the approach of nature law will always change depending of time period. However, Syariah law need to improve the training of religious enforcement officers on how to carry out their duties.

Islamic Criminal Law

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christie S. Warren
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Islamic Law ◽  
Intentional Injury ◽  
International Human Rights ◽  
State Legislation ◽  
Criminal Offenses ◽  
The Subject ◽  
International Human

Although criminal law in other legal systems tends to be organized according to the nature of crimes, criminal offenses under classical Islamic law are categorized according to the nature and sources of punishments. Islamic criminal offenses are divided into three categories: (1) offenses and punishments fixed in the Qurʾan or Sunna (hudud); (2) offenses against the person, including intentional injury and homicide, which are considered matters to be settled between the offender and victim, and for which remedies include retaliation (qisas) and financial compensation (diya); and (3) Offenses not fixed in the Qurʾan or Sunna, for which punishments are discretionary (taʿzir). Islamic criminal law is not applied uniformly in all locations—interpretations of Sharia and hudud punishments in countries such as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, for example, can be very different. In Pakistan, hudud offenses have been incorporated into state legislation. In recent years, Islamic criminal law has been the subject of commentary and critique by scholars and activists within the international human rights community.

2. What is ‘crime’?

2021 ◽  
pp. 27-53
Author(s):  
Steve Case ◽  
Phil Johnson ◽  
David Manlow ◽  
Roger Smith ◽  
Kate Williams
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Law ◽  
Harm Principle ◽  
Criminal Behaviour ◽  
Social Construct ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Harm Principle ◽  
What Matters

This chapter discusses what crime is. No matter how universally its ideas and regulations are accepted, it is important to understand and not lose sight of the fact that crime is a social construct. Because crime is socially constructed, ideas of unacceptable and criminal behaviour alter across cultures and over time. Many suggest that what is known as the ‘harm principle’ might be the best standard by which we should decide whether an activity should be criminal. This principle holds that if conduct is not harmful to others it should not be criminal, even if others strongly dislike it. The chapter also looks at the concept of deviance and identifies: what kinds of activities are disapproved of (seen as deviant) and why; which of these are criminalised and why; what the criminal law may reveal about society and what matters to it.

Conceptualising Disappearances in International Law

2021 ◽  
pp. 37-62
Author(s):  
Barbara A. Frey
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
International Law ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
International Human Rights ◽  
Transitional Democracies ◽  
Legal Accountability ◽  
International Human

Enforced disappearance is one of the most serious crimes, prohibited across several regimes of international law, including human rights, humanitarian law and criminal law, yet Latin American governments and officials frequently avoid legal accountability for these violations. The dynamics of disappearances in post-transitional democracies call for a reconceptualisation of the international human rights framework, by reconsidering the meaning of state acquiescence. This chapter argues that a relevant and effective framework must embrace a contextual analysis and foreground the positive obligations of states to search and investigate these crimes, using generally accepted principles found in due diligence jurisprudence to measure the legal adequacy of the state’s responses to reported disappearances. Stretching the legal framework is necessary to disrupt the benefits of impunity, which violate the rights of victims, allow disappearances to thrive, and harm societies by hiding the truth.

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