The principle that there must be no crime or punishment
except in accordance with fixed, predetermined law, which
guarantee function of rule of law in criminal law, is a
self-evident principle of criminal justice and at the very heart of
many constitution, The Article 12 Clause 2, the Article 12
Clause 3 of the Constitution and the Article 1 of the Criminal
Code carry the banner of this principle.
In general, the maxim has four important corollaries: penal
statutes must be strictly construed, the prohibition or limitation
on the use of analogy in judicial interpretation, the requirement
of specificity and the prohibition of ambuiguity in criminal
legistration and non-retroactivity of law.
Although the maxim and its colloraries have now the
theoretical basis of criminal law in each country, there is many
different opinions about details, the application of the maxim and
its colloraries. The existing state of application of the maxim in
each country reflects its level of constitutional state, on the
other hands, its level of perspectives over criminal law, which
theory and praxis of each country have.
As a whole, precedent cases come into its own as an playing
an important role in realizing the principle of constitutional state
in the field of criminal law. Especially, According to increase of
the field of special criminal law, precedent cases have regulated
definitely the standard of legal control through the deprived
principle of specificity and the prohibition of mandatory
legistration. But, relating to the prohibition od analogy and
retroactivity of law, regrettably precedent cases did not
distinguish the interpretation of law from analogy and broaden
the range of legal interpretation, did restrict the retroactive
application of law favorable to the defendant.
Further more, to strengthen the function of the maxim, it is
necessary to control the contents of criminal enactments by
means of the constitutional principle of proportionality.
The principle that there must be no crime or punishment
except in accordance with fixed, predetermined law, which
guarantee function of rule of law in criminal law, is a
self-evident principle of criminal justice and at the very heart of
many constitution, The Article 12 Clause 2, the Article 12
Clause 3 of the Constitution and the Article 1 of the Criminal
Code carry the banner of this principle.
In general, the maxim has four important corollaries: penal
statutes must be strictly construed, the prohibition or limitation
on the use of analogy in judicial interpretation, the requirement
of specificity and the prohibition of ambuiguity in criminal
legistration and non-retroactivity of law.
Although the maxim and its colloraries have now the
theoretical basis of criminal law in each country, there is many
different opinions about details, the application of the maxim and
its colloraries. The existing state of application of the maxim in
each country reflects its level of constitutional state, on the
other hands, its level of perspectives over criminal law, which
theory and praxis of each country have.
As a whole, precedent cases come into its own as an playing
an important role in realizing the principle of constitutional state
in the field of criminal law. Especially, According to increase of
the field of special criminal law, precedent cases have regulated
definitely the standard of legal control through the deprived
principle of specificity and the prohibition of mandatory
legistration. But, relating to the prohibition od analogy and
retroactivity of law, regrettably precedent cases did not
distinguish the interpretation of law from analogy and broaden
the range of legal interpretation, did restrict the retroactive
application of law favorable to the defendant.
Further more, to strengthen the function of the maxim, it is
necessary to control the contents of criminal enactments by
means of the constitutional principle of proportionality.