scholarly journals #MeToo - Implications for Criminal Law?

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-135
Author(s):  
Tatjana Hörnle
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Social Control ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
German Law ◽  
Sexual Misconduct ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Traditional Model ◽  
Sexual Offenses ◽  
Naming And Shaming

#MeToo became a powerful social movement, and the accusations of sexual misconduct destroyed the careers of many persons. In its first part, the article critically examines #MeToo, concluding that the naming and shaming of individuals in social media is a problematic instrument of social control. The second part analyses changes in criminal laws on sexual offenses, for instance the new German law on sexual assault. The traditional model of sexual assault and rape that emphasizes violence deserves criticism. For contemporary criminal laws, the focus must be on consent and communication. The article discusses the merits and disadvantages of “No means No” and “Only Yes means Yes” as starting points for law reform.

scholarly journals Sexual Assault Cases at the Alberta Court of Appeal: The Roots of Ewanchuk and the Unfinished Revolution

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janine Benedet
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Sexual Offences ◽  
Rape Law ◽  
Rape Law Reform ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Court Of Appeal

This article surveys rape law reform efforts in Canadian criminal law by mapping these changes onto the decisions of the Alberta Court of Appeal. First, the article outlines how decisions in the 1970s and 1980s reflected ideas and assumptions about sexual offences. It then traces how these ideas were challenged in law reform efforts in 1983 and 1992. Next the article turns to the definition of non-consent and the Ewanchuk case, and how the reasons at the Court of Appeal reflect evolving attitudes to sexual assault. Finally, the article ends with reflections on sexual assault law following the Ewanchuk decision.

scholarly journals The New German Law on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1309-1330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatjana Hörnle
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
German Law ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Sexual Assaults ◽  
The Law ◽  
German Parliament

In 2016, the German parliament changed the law on sexual assault and rape (Sect. 177 StGB). The new law assumes a “no-means-no”-model, while the old law required coercion as a necessary feature of rape and other forms of sexual assaults. In addition, two new offense descriptions were introduced: sexual harassment (Sect. 184i StGB) and offenses out of groups (Sect. 184j StGB). In this Article, I describe the deficiencies of the old law, the process of law reform, and the newly enacted prohibitions.

scholarly journals Evaluating #MeToo: The Perspective of Criminal Law Theory

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 833-846
Author(s):  
Tatjana Hörnle
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
The United States ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Final Part ◽  
Social Phenomenon ◽  
Criminal Punishment ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe article describes the #MeToo-movement in the United States and Germany and discusses the merits and problems of this social phenomenon. It highlights the fact that some features of #MeToo (blaming and sanctioning wrongdoers) resemble those of criminal punishment and thus require careful justification. In the final part, the author examines the impact of the #MeToo-movement on criminal law reform.

scholarly journals Diminished responsibility and alcohol

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuwan Galappathie ◽  
Krishma Jethwa
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Law ◽  
Case Law ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Life Sentence ◽  
The Law ◽  
Diminished Responsibility

SummaryIn England and Wales diminished responsibility is a partial defence to the charge of murder. If successfully argued by the defence, it reduces the charge from murder to manslaughter and thus avoids the mandatory life sentence. Alcohol has been reported to be a feature in up to 80% of all homicides but for many years the judiciary have set an almost unattainable threshold for the disease of alcoholism to amount to a finding of diminished responsibility, in accordance with other aspects of criminal law. Reform of the law on murder is likely to take many years but it is timely to recap the current law on diminished responsibility and review advances in case law in England and Wales on alcohol.

scholarly journals Sentencing Reform in Canada: Recent Developments

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian V. Roberts ◽  
Andrew von Hirsch
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Law ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Sentencing Guidelines ◽  
Department Of Justice ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
Sentencing Reform ◽  
Solicitor General ◽  
The Future ◽  
Recent Developments

Changes to the sentencing process in Canada are finally imminent. A number of reports in recent years have called for reforms in the area of sentencing and parole. In 1987, the Canadian Sentencing Commission released its final report Sentencing Reform: A Canadian Approach. This was followed in 1988 by the report of the Daubney Committee following its investigation into sentencing and parole. In addition to these proposals, the now-defunct Law Reform Commission of Canada, the Department of Justice and the Ministry of the Solicitor General all published reports containing reform proposals. In this article, the authors review recent events in the area of sentencing since the publication of the report of the Canadian Sentencing Commission. After a brief introduction, four principal policy issues are examined: (i) statutory statements of sentencing purpose; (ii) sentencing guidelines; (iii) the future of release on parole; (iv) the creation of a permanent sentencing commission for Canada. For each issue, the article critically examines the position taken by major players in the area of criminal law reform. The article concludes with a brief examination of Bill C-90, which recently received first reading, and which will be the object of further parliamentary scrutiny in the fall of 1992. In a subsequent article, the authors offer their own proposals to reform the sentencing of offenders in Canada.

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