Reflections on the internationalization and regionalization of criminal policy – towards global views of criminal law theory

ABSTRACT

The introductory article of Raimo Lahti starts with the description of Finnish–Chinese colloquia on criminal law 2016–2022, i.e. the cooperation in criminal sciences between the Peking University and the University of Helsinki. The author continues with the analysis of trends towards internationalization and regionalization of criminal policy and criminal justice – more generally, towards global law. The need of comparative criminal law is emphasized. The author's examples are mostly from the Nordic countries and Finland. He also prioritizes the examination of criminal law theory in transition and invites to express global views on criminal law theory.

KEYWORDS:

• Finnish-Chinese cooperation in criminal sciences
• internationalization of criminal policy
• regionalization of criminal policy
• globalization of law
• criminal lavw theory

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 As to the published presentations, see Peking University Law Journal, Vol. 5, Issue 1, 2017. See also on these issues my ‘open access’ article collections of Raimo. Lahti, Zur Kriminal- und Strafrechtspolitik des 21. Jahrhunderts. Der Blickwinkel eines nordischen Wohlfahrtsstaates und dessen Strafgesetzreformen : Finnland (De Gruyter 2019); and Raimo Lahti, Towards an Efficient, Just and Humane Criminal Justice : Nordic Essays on Criminal Law, Criminology and Criminal Policy 1972–2010 (Publitions of Finnish Lawyers’ Association, Suomalainen lakimiesyhdistys 2021).

2 Raimo Lahti, ‘Life Imprisonment and Other Long-Term Sentences in the Finnish Criminal Justice System: Fluctuations in Penal Policy’ in Khalid Ghanayim and Yuval Shany (eds), The Quest for Core Values in the Application of Legal Norms. Essays in Honor of Mordechai Kremnitzer (Springer 2021) 201.

3 Cf. Raimo Lahti, ‘Towards internationalization and regionalization of criminal policy and criminal justice – the experience of Finland in a Nordic and European context’ in Michiel Luchtman et al. (eds.), Of sords and shields: due process and crime control in times of globalization. Liber amicorum prof. dr. J.A.E. Vervaele (Eleven 2023) 329.

4 As for the UN’s activities in global criminal policy, see esp. Sławomir Marek Redo, Blue Criminology. The power of United Nations ideas to counter crime globally. A monographic study (HEUNI 2012).

5 See, e.g. the example of Finnish-Hungarian scientific co-operation in 1979–2009 and the change of its priorities: Raimo Lahti, ‘From Comparative Criminal Law to the Europeanization and Internationalization of Criminal Law’ in Katalin Ligeti (ed), Homage to Imre A. Wiener (AIDP, Éditions érès 2010) 21 (<http://www.penal.org/sites/default/files/files/NEP%2022.pdf>accessed 26 March 2023).

6 Mireille Delmas-Marty, ‘Comparative Criminal Law as a Necessary Tool for the Application of International Criminal Law’ in Antonio. Cassese (ed), The Oxford Companion to International Criminal Justice (Oxford University Press 2009) 97.

7 See Mireille Delmas-Marty and others, Corpus Juris (Economica 1997); Mireille Delmas-Marty and J. A. E. Vervaele (eds.), The Implementation of the Corpus Juris in the Member States, Vols I–IV (Intersentia 2000–2001).

8 See Klaus Tiedemann (Hrsg.), Wirtschaftsstrafrecht in der Europäischen Union, Köln (Carl Heymanns Verlag 2002).

9 See Bernd Schünemann (Hrsg.), Ein Gesamtkonzept für die europäische Strafrechtspflege (Carl Heymanns Verlag 2006).

10 See European Criminal Policy Initiative‘ (http://www.crimpol.eu); (2009) 12 Zeitschrift für Internationale Strafrechtsdogmatik (ZIS), (2009) 12, 707 (www.zis-online.com). See also ‘The Manifesto on European Criminal Procedure Law’ (first published in ZIS (2013) 16, 412).

11 As for the resolutions of the AIDP, see Jose Luis de la Cuesta, Isidoro Blanco Cordero and Miren Odriozola Gurrutxaga (eds.), Resolutions of the Congresses of the Association Internationale de Droit Pénal (1926–2019). Revue Internationale de Droit Pénal, libri 01 (Maklu 2020).

12 Ulrich Sieber, ‘The Forces Behind the Harmonization of Criminal Law’ in Mireille Delmas-Marty et al. (éds), Les chemins de l’harmonisation pénale. (Paris 2008) 385, 387.

13 See e.g. Neil Bolster, Sabine Gless and Florian Jessberger (eds), Histories of Transnational Criminal Law (Oxford University Press 2021).

14 See e.g. Jaakko Husa, Advanced Introduction to Law and Globalisation (Elgar 2018).

15 Jaakko Husa (n 14) 8.

16 Kimmo Nuotio, ‘From Transnational Law to Global Criminal Law’ in Florian Jessberger et al. (Hrsg.), Strafrecht und Systemunrecht. Festschrift für Gerhard Werle (Mohr Siebeck 2023) 469, 474.

17 See especially Wolfgang Schomburg, ‘The Role of International Criminal Tribunals in Promoting Respect for Fair Trial Rights’ (2009)(8) Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights 1.

18 See UN Doc A/Conf. 183/9, 17 July 1998.

19 See Chapter 11 of the Penal Code, amendment made by Act of 212/2008.

20 Judgment of the Helsinki Court of Appeal, 30 March 2012 (R 10/2555). In more detail, see Minna Kimpimäki, ‘Genocide in Rwanda – Is It Really Finland’s Concern?’ (2011) 11 International Criminal Law Review 155.

21 See André Klip, ‘Preface’ in Renata Barbosa, Francesco Mazzacuva and Megumi Ochi (eds.), Contemporary Challenges and Alternatives to International Criminal Justice (2022) 93 Revue International de Droit Pénal 9.

22 See Jussi Matikkala, ‘Nordic Intent’ in Festschrift in Honour of Raimo Lahti (Forum Iuris 2007） 221.

23 See esp. following publications of the projects: Ulrich Sieber and Karin Cornils (Hrsg.), Nationales Strafrecht in rechtsvergleichender Darstellung. Allgemeiner Teil 1–3 (Berlin, Duncker & Humblot 2008–2009). See also the George P. Fletcher, The Grammar of Criminal Law, Vols I-II. (Oxford University Press 2007, 2020).

24 As for international criminal law, see e-g. Raimo Lahti, ‘Towards Harmonization of the General Principles of International Criminal Law’ in International Criminal Law: Quo Vadis? (AIDP, Éditions érès 2004) 345; reprinted in Lahti (n 1) 306; idem, ‘Memories and personal reflections on M. Cherif Bassiouni’ in J. L. de la Cuesta, R. Ottenhof and J. F. Thony (eds), M. Cherif Bassiouni (1937–2017): Cherif’s Friends. In Memoriam (AIDP, Siracusa 2018) 41.

25 See e.g. Raimo Lahti, ‘The Origin and Development of Quasi-criminal Enforcement Mechanisms in Europe: Nordic Perspective’ in Vanessa Franssen and Christopher Harding (eds), Criminal and Quasi-criminal Enforcement Mechanisms in Europe. Origins, Concepts, Future (Hart Publishing 2022) 11. From a larger perspective, see John A.E. Vervaele, Towards a European Reassessment of Punitive Law Enforcement? (Eleven 2023).

26 COM(2011)573 final.

27 On the relationship between proportionality and social legitimacy, see Emmanouil Billis and others, ‘The Typology of Proportionality’ in Emmanouil Billis et al. (eds), Proportionality in Crime Control and Criminal Justice (Hart Publishing 2021) 3, 11.

28 See Raimo Lahti and Kimmo Nuotio (eds), Criminal Law Theory in Transition. Finnish and Comparative Perspectives; Strafrechtstheorie im Umbruch. Finnische und vergleichende Perspektiven (Finnish Lawyers‘ Publishing Compary 1992) 5.