Roots of the International Association of Criminal Law and Their Significance

• NCJ Number: 129732
• Author(s): L Radzinowicz
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 105 pages
• Sale Source: Max-Planck-Institute Fur Auslandisches und Internationales Strafrecht
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: Germany (Unified)
• Note: Criminological Research Reports by the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Penal Law, Volume 45

Annotation

The International Association of Criminal Law (IKV) was established in Europe in 1889 with members from 17 countries.

Abstract

The IKV had 24 member countries by 1897 and 30 member countries by 1905. The early history of the association is traced in terms of its organization and operation, the participation of member country representatives, and topics covered in the association's international meetings. The establishment of an International Penal and Penitentiary Commission is discussed as well as association-sponsored studies in criminal science and the impact of social Darwinism on the IKV's direction. The IKV's emphasis on social defense and social liberalism is examined. The first two articles of the IKV's statute are crucial. They indicate that crime and punishment should be considered from both judicial and sociological angles; the task of punishment is to control crime as a social occurrence. Early in the 20th century, the IKV was blamed for contributing to the increased leniency of sentencing policies during the period. The author, however, analyzes the lenient trend in terms of criminal justice professionals being vulnerable to unjustified and irrational hopes. 165 footnotes