The Irrelevance of Motive and the Rule of Law

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shachar Eldar ◽  
Elkana Laist
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Legal Thinking ◽  
The Common

One of the maxims of criminal law orthodoxy states that a defendant’s motive for offending, be it good or bad, should have no weight in assessing his or her criminal liability—although it may rightfully bear on the punishment imposed. Known as the “irrelevance of motive principle,” this idea owes much of its popular stature in legal thinking to arguments that draw on the notion of the rule of law. It is said that allowing defendants’ motives to generate or negate their criminal liability would undermine the state’s authority in defining the contours of crime. The article identifies and critically examines three streams of such arguments, and these in turn lead to three findings. First, each manifestation of the rule of law argument defends a somewhat different conception of the irrelevance principle; this means that despite the common allusion to the irrelevance principle, there is no singular principle, but instead several variants of the norm are at play. Secondly, rule of law arguments fail to sustain any meaningful notion of the irrelevance principle. Finally, there exists a sphere of instances where the careful application of motives to criminal directives may advance the rule of law by infusing legislation with added clarity and richness.

scholarly journals OFFENSE - THE ONLY GROUND FOR CRIMINAL LIABILITY

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 149-156
Author(s):  
Laura-Roxana Popoviciu
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Criminal Code ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Law

This study aims to examine the offence as the only ground for criminal liability. Article 15, paragraph 2 of the Criminal code provides that: “offences are the only grounds for criminal liability”, which implies the existence of an act, which is detected by the bodies empowered under the law in the form required by law, and also this principle comes as a guarantee of the person’s freedom because, without committing an act provided for by the law as an offense, the criminal liability cannot exist.The criminal liability is one of the fundamental institutions of the criminal law, together with the institution of the offence and of the sanction, set in the various provisions of the Criminal code.As shown in the Criminal code, in Title II regarding the offence, there is a close interdependence among the three fundamental institutions. The offence, as a dangerous act prohibited by the criminal rule, attracts, by committing it, the criminal liability, and the criminal liability without a sanction would lack the object. It obliges the person who committed an offence to be held accountable for it in front of the judicial bodies, to bide the sanctions provided for by the law, and to execute the sanction that was applied.The correlation is also vice-versa, meaning that the sanction, its implementation, cannot be justified only by the existence of the perpetrator’s criminal liability, and the criminal liability may not be based only on committing an offence.The criminal liability is a form of the judicial liability and it represents the consequence of non-complying with the provision of the criminal rule. Indeed, the achievement of the rule of law, in general, and also the rule of the criminal law implies, from all the law’s recipients, a conduct according to the provisions of the law, for the normal evolution of the social relations.

scholarly journals Criminal Influence and Feasibility of its Preservation in New Criminal Code of Ukraine

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 44-51
Author(s):  
Artem Nikitin
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Criminal Code ◽  
Original Form ◽  
Legal Certainty ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Definition Of

The concept of criminal influence, which was introduced into the Criminal Code of Ukraine in June 2020, has been highly criticized by the scientific community and practitioners, among other things, for violation of the principle of legal certainty and the rule of law. This article defines the main disadvantages of the provisions that establish criminal liability for acts related to criminal influence and analyzes the feasibility of preservation of these provisions in their original form in the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the possibility of their transfer to the draft of the new Criminal Code of Ukraine. It is concluded that the mentioned norms should be at least substantially revised, with taking into account comments of the Ukrainian scientists, and cannot be transferred into the new criminal law as they are currently defined. Moreover, introduction of specific amendments to other laws is also required in this regard.The Working Group on the development of criminal law, as the author of the draft of the new Criminal Code, reasonably refused from the existing concept of the criminal influence. At the same time, they defined criminally punishable acts, which can be considered as a certain equivalent of the criminal influence (socalled “criminal leadership”). Provisions developed by the Working Group differ from the current by the more precise definition of specific actions, which constitute corpus delicti of criminal leadership, avoidance of jargon formulations, decrease of the terms of imprisonment for committing the relevant crimes, and diversification of criminal legal measures that can be applied to offender besides the punishment. In general, it appears that the Working Group avoided the main mistakes which are present in the current legislation. However, it is too early to draw conclusions regarding the acceptability of the proposed article of the new criminal law. Only after the draft of the new Criminal Code of Ukraine has been finished and its provisions can be analyzed altogether, final conclusions regarding the mentioned norms can be drawn.

The Anatomy of Justice: Forensic Medicine and Criminal Law In Nineteenth-century Egypt

1999 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Fahmy
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Forensic Medicine ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Archival Material ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Common ◽  
Arabic Speaking

AbstractThe reform of the Egyptian criminal justice system in the nineteenth century traditionally has been viewed as forming an important step in the establishment of a liberal and just rule of law. By studying how forensic medicine was introduced into nineteenth-century Egypt, I argue that the need to exercise better control over the population and to monitor crime lay behind the reform process as much as liberal ideas borrowed from Europe did. Drawing on a wide range of archival material, both legal and medical, I analyze the role played by autopsy in the criminal system and argue that the practice of autopsy was viewed differentially by 'ulamā', by Arabic-speaking, French-educated doctors and by the mostly illiterate masses. And contrary to the common wisdom, I conclude that the "modernization" of the Egyptian legal system was intended not to displace the sharīa but to support it.

Killing through negligence and its distinction with other kinds of murder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Myslivyy ◽  
Angelina Mykyta
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Law ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Criminal Code ◽  
The State ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Common Features ◽  
Criminal Offenses ◽  
The Common

Problem setting. According to Art. 27 of the Constitution of Ukraine, everyone has an inalienable right to life, no one can be arbitrarily deprived of life, and the state, in turn, is obliged to protect human life. Protection of a person’s life, as a duty of the state, is manifested in the establishment of criminal liability, enshrined in Section II “Criminal offenses against life and health of a person” of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, who commit socially dangerous acts. whether there are criminal offenses and what punishments they should be committed. The distinction between crimes such as premeditated murder and negligent deprivation of another’s life is important, as criminal law theory still does not have sufficient information on this issue and does not have a complete list of features of the above crimes, but we tried to identify them in our article. Target of research. Deepening their knowledge on the caution of a person’s life due to inconsistency and drawing the line between possible offenses and conditional authority, clarifying the special characteristics of the perpetrator and the victim, outlining the essential features of the perpetrator and the victim, and researching the regulation of negligent proposal of a new version of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Analysis of resent researches and publications. The theoretical basis for the study of the problem of murder through negligence are the works of legal scholars, in particular, M. Bazhanov, V. Borisov, S. Borodin, V. Glushkov, O. Gorokhovskaya, I. Zinchenko , V. Tyutyugin, O. Us, E. Kisilyuk, V. Kuts, M. Yefimov, S. Likhova, V. Stashis, V. Shablisty and others. Article’s main body. According to Art. 3 of the Constitution of Ukraine, man, his life and health, honor and dignity, inviolability and security are recognized in Ukraine as the highest social value. Given this constitutional provision, the legislator should pay special attention to the criminal law protection of human life and health as the most important public relations. So it is no coincidence that considering such encroachments as one of the most dangerous in the criminal law dimension, the legislator established criminal liability for their commission in Section II “Criminal offenses against life and health” of the Special Part of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Due to the high public danger and the high prevalence of criminal offenses against human life and health, criminal law theory and law enforcement practice are under increasing scrutiny. Thus, the analysis of judicial practice in recent years shows that, for example, among all murders (Articles 117-119 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) the number of persons convicted of deprivation of life due to negligence is about 15 percent annually. In our opinion, it is also advisable to analyze the concept of “murder” by comparing the common and distinctive features of the offenses referred to in Art. Art. 115 and 119 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. According to scientific results, we can conclude that these offenses have many common features. It is possible to understand the common features and preconditions for the spread of these types of offenses. Conclusions and prospects for the development. A study of issues related to the criminal law analysis of murder through negligence and its difference from other types of murder, shows that these acts encroach on the identical object, which is “human life as a set of social relations.” Unfortunately, nowadays the dynamics of offenses committed in Art. Art. 115 and 119 is intensifying, so consideration of their delimitation and characterization of their features is very important. The study examines the main features of these types of crimes, as well as analyzes some provisions of national law and proposes some adjustments to them.

scholarly journals IMPLIKASI PERUMUSAN DELIK KORUPSI DI DALAM KEBIJAKAN PEMBAHARUAN KITAB UNDANG-UNDANG HUKUM PIDANA

FIAT JUSTISIA ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syaputra Syaputra
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Criminal Code ◽  
Community Life ◽  
Reform Effort ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Draft Code ◽  
The Law ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Sense Of Justice

The Criminal Code as a legacy of Dutch colonialism could no longer follow the dynamism of community life. It is too rigid has obliterated the sense of justice which is the goal of the creation of the law itself. This is because the articles of the Criminal Code deemed unsuitable to the development of crime and offenses increasingly complex. In the draft Code of Criminal Law, as one of the reform effort is the formulation of offenses of corruption set out in Chapter XXXII starting from Article 688 to Article 702. With the formulation of the offense of corruption and offenses positions formulated in the draft Criminal Code will disregard the Law Combating Corruption although this law of particular importance because of the substance of the articles draft Criminal Code wants to make corruption has become common crimes and do not pass through handling extraordinary. Law on Corruption Eradication cannot apply even if there is the principle of lex specialis derogat lex generalis, because of the retroactive principle that applies in the draft Criminal Code so that the decision to force the law can still be applied retroactively when the rule of law that new does not regulate the offense of criminal, so punishment can be eliminated.Keywords: Offense Corruption , Corruption , Reform of draft Criminal Code

scholarly journals Non-Positivist ‘Higher Norms’ and ‘Formal’ Positivism: Interpretation of the Ethiopian Criminal Law

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-118
Author(s):  
Simeneh Kiros Assefa
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Legal Theory ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
The Common

The criminal law is adopted as a means of achieving the common good; it is interpreted and applied by the court. The judge chooses the type of legal theory and method to employ in the interpretation and application of the criminal law. Such theories may be acquired from higher norms or from the decision of the Supreme Court. Because such choice of theory and method determines the outcome of the case, the judge is also expected to be guided by the doctrines in criminal law inspired by the values of rule of law and respect for fundamental rights, enshrined in the Constitution. This article examines how courts harmonise the application of the positive criminal law with the non-positivist theories of higher norms. After reviewing various criminal rules and their judicial application, it finds that the court applies the criminal law as it is written in disregard of the non-positivist theories of higher norms, at times in contradiction to the basic doctrines of the criminal law itself.

Die Entwicklung des Strafrechts der Ukraine

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-396
Author(s):  
Rainer Birke
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Penal Code ◽  
Science And Society ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Law System ◽  
The Law ◽  
Simplified Procedure ◽  
Procedural Rights

In 2001, a new penal code was adopted in Ukraine after a comprehensive discussion in politics, legal science and society, replacing a codification of the Soviet era dating back to 1960, obviously unsuitable for the new realities. The new penal code of 2001 has been changed many times since then. This also applies to the criminal law provisions against corruption, evaluated and commended by GRECO. However, there is criticism of the criminal law system in Ukraine. A large number of the issues have little or nothing to do with the text of the penal code itself, but with deficits in the application of the law and the resulting loss of confidence in the activities of the law enforcement authorities. The judiciary is said to have a significant corruption problem and is significantly overloaded. The latter is to be counteracted by the introduction of the class of misdemeanor (“kryminalnyj prostupok”) in 2019 that can be investigated in a simplified procedure, which has been criticized, inter alia, because it bears the risk of the loss of quality and possibly infringes procedural rights. Also in 2019, the work on a once again completely new codification of the penal code was commenced, which is not entirely surprising in view to the existing criticism of manual errors or inadequacies of the recent code. It is to be hoped that Ukraine, with the existing will and the necessary strength, will succeed in the creation of a criminal law system that is fully in compliance with the rule of law and that a penal code will be drafted that finally finds full recognition in the society.

The Rule of Law and Good Governance

2019 ◽  
pp. 75-90
Author(s):  
Henk Addink
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Common Law ◽  
The State ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Judicial Control ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Government ◽  
Continental Tradition

The concept of the rule of law has different—common law and continental—historical roots and traditional perspectives. The common law tradition is more focused on limiting the powers of the state, whereas the continental tradition focuses on not just to limit but also to empower the government. But both systems have a focus on the rule of law. The rule of law in the classical liberal tradition is based on four elements: legality, division and balance of powers, independent judicial control, and protection of fundamental rights. The differences between rule of law and rechtsstaat are: different concepts of the state, mixed legal systems and different approaches of a constitution, and different perspectives on human rights. There are two levels of development: a model in which law is a way of structuring and restricting the power of the state, the second level is more subjective and has important individual positions. The concept of good governance related to these developments makes clear the need to broaden the concept of the rule of law.

20. Conspiracy

2020 ◽  
pp. 580-610
Author(s):  
David Ormerod ◽  
Karl Laird
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
The Rule Of Law

This chapter examines the ways in which criminal law treats conspiracies. Some of the controversies examined include: whether it is necessary and/or desirable to criminalize conspiracies; the extent to which there can be a conspiracy under the Criminal Law Act 1977 if the parties have only agreed to commit the substantive offence subject to some condition; what must be agreed and who must intend what to happen for a crime of conspiracy; the mens rea of statutory conspiracies; and whether common law conspiracies are so vague as to infringe the rule of law.

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