Criminalising Harmful Conduct : The Harm Principle, its Limits and Continental Counterparts

Dr. Nina Peršak’s work addresses the criteria for criminalisation – that is, the criteria that should be employed in determinations whether to prohibit conduct through the criminal law.

I. Introduction The thesis'' starting point and aim The method The structure The main starting hypotheses II. Criminalisation III. Grounds for (principles of) criminalisation Anglo-American legal system Legitimisation of the State Balancing approach Principled approach 1. Harm principle 2. Offence principle 3. Legal paternalism 4. Legal moralism Limitations on the principles of criminalisation Continental legal system Evaluation The legitimate grounds IV. Harm principle - A comparative analysis The definition of the harm principle Mill''s ''Principle of Liberty'' Feinberg''s ''Harm Principle'' The elements of the harm principle State intervention Causes or likely to cause (harm) (Harm) to others Mediating maxims The notion of ''harm'' and translation equivalents The Anglo-American system 1. The formulation (the concept) 2. The substance (the conception) and the categorising of harm/seriousness of crime 3. Harm - victim 4. The a contrario and relational definition The Continental system - with emphasis on Slovenian and German criminal law The functions of the harm principle Limiting and delimiting A tool for criminal policy An aid to other criminal legal principles A post-delictum tool The nature of the harm principle Problems and open questions of the harm principle Problems with ''harm'' Relationship harm - culpability The indeterminate scope 1. Self-regarding v. Other-regarding area 2. Not a ''sufficient'' reason Potential for abuse (abusability of the harm principle) Some other criticisms Limitingfactors/principles V. Continental counterparts to the Anglo-American concept of the harm principle The Continental ''general paradigm of the criminal offence'' Material unlawfulness - Wrong(ful)ness - Rechtswidrigkeit (Social) dangerousness Legal goods (Rechtsgüter) 1. The concept 2. The juxtaposition with the concept of harm 3. The history 4. Various schools of Rechtsgut theorists 5. The ''legality'' of legal goods 6. Additional questions 7. Evaluation Classical criminal legal principles The legality principle The ultima ratio principle Proscribed consequence VI. Conclusion - Final evaluation The absence of a counterpart The appeal of the harm principle (In)sufficiency of the principle Feasibility of reception The mode of reception VII. Some criminological afterthoughts VIII. Bibliography