NK Neue Kriminalpolitik

The coalition agreement of 5 May 2025 for the 21st legislative period promises numerous tougher penalties and even a new element of murder, but unlike its predecessors, it no longer contains a commitment to evidence-based criminal policy. The...

Global organized (financial) crime is one of the most present and macroeconomically damaging criminal phenomena in the economic global community. In recent times, alongside core criminal law and regulatory measures to combat money laundering, asset...

Using the example of the Spanish lagoon Mar Menor, which was granted legal personality and subjective rights by Ley 19/2022, this essay examines the criminal law implications of rights of nature (RoN). The article mainly attributes the fact that the...

The coalition agreement of the newly elected government, formed by the CDU, CSU, and SPD, places criminal law in the context of what has been described – primarily in terms of foreign policy – as a „Zeitenwende“ (historic turning point)....

In this article we present the results of a criminological policy survey among students, which has been conducted annually at the University of Tübingen between 2007 and 2024. The study examines how respondents would punish eleven briefly described...

The German penal system is governed by the principle of strict separation of the sexes. However, the growing public awareness of the lived realities of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals—driven by scientific research, international...

The placement of offenders under Section 64 of the German Criminal Code (StGB) in a closed facility for alcohol and drug addicts was the subject of the reform of the law on sanctions with the Act of 1 October, 2023. In view of the significant...

The rates of conditional release in Austria, Germany and Switzerland stay behind what seems possible in terms of special and general deterrence. A survey of the available evidence reveals that in all three countries the public prosecutor is key to...

The article addresses the question as to whether the so-called “Last Generation”, a group of climate activists, could be considered a “criminal association” subject to Section 129 of the German Criminal Code, as some law enforcement agencies...

Although the use of the internet for educational purposes is possible in almost every German prison and video-calls have been an integral part of communication with the outside world since the Covid-19 pandemic, a prisoners claim to these services...

On October 1, 2023, as part of a comprehensive revision of the law on sanctions, the new regulations on placement in a detention facility in accordance with § 64 StGB came into force (BGBl. I 2023, 203). This article aims to report on initial...

The debate on the criminalization of abortion has recently intensified in Germany due to political efforts to reform the existing legal framework. The prevailing concept regarding §§ 218 ff. of the German Criminal Code (StGB) is based on the...

On the occasion of the FDP parliamentary group's draft law on the modernization of criminal law, this article deals with the basic problems of decriminalization. To this end, it clarifies the concept and types of decriminalization, discusses the...

The paper describes the relationship between criminological findings and criminal policy orientations. It explains to what extent the ideal of a criminologically based criminal policy can actually exist and which criminal policy orientations can be...

The article examines the potential of multidisciplinary investigation teams based on the newly established Investigation and Complaints Office for Allegations of Ill-Treatment – EBM at the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK) of the Austrian...

It is notable that under exceptional circumstances jurisprudence in general and criminal law research in particular are influenced by its actors‘ views and backgrounds. This also applies to criminal law scholarship during the colonial era....

Victims of sexual offenses can suffer severe long-term consequences, including psychological, physical, and social damages. A very important challenge in dealing with sexual offenses often arises from a "he said, she said" constellation, potentially...

Normatively speaking, access to justice for prisoners is a test case for the universality of human rights, yet empirically this access is often precarious. Using legal mobilisation on prison conditions and attempts at trade union organisation in...

This paper draws on the “democratic thesis” recently highlighted in access to justice research, which argues that meaningful participation in society and its institutions is essential for true access to justice. It explores barriers that extend...