The Principle of “Ultima Ratio” And/Or the Principle of Proportionality

<p>The ultima ratio principle is a highly topical subject. The author describes the common grounds and different perspectives of &ldquo;ultima ratio&rdquo; on the one hand and/or the principle of proportionality in German criminal and public law on the other hand. At the same time, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Rudolf Wendt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law 2013-01-01
Series:Oñati Socio-Legal Series
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ssrn.com/abstract=2200873
Description
Summary:<p>The ultima ratio principle is a highly topical subject. The author describes the common grounds and different perspectives of &ldquo;ultima ratio&rdquo; on the one hand and/or the principle of proportionality in German criminal and public law on the other hand. At the same time, the meaning of these principles in the field of criminal law and their practical application by the courts are being analyzed.</p> <p>After a historical and theoretical analysis of the ultima ratio principle and the principle of proportionality, the main emphasis of this publication lies on studying whether the German Federal Constitutional Court lives up to the self-imposed expectations when applying the ultima ratio principle and/or the proportionality principle on criminal law provisions. The case-law based analysis shows that &ndash; with respect to criminal law provisions &ndash; these principles are in fact weaker than what their theoretical standing suggests. The author gives various references which reflect the application of the ultima ratio principle and/or the principle of proportionality in the German legal system.</p> <hr /><p>El principio de ultima ratio es un tema de candente actualidad. El autor describe, por un lado, los puntos en com&uacute;n y diferentes perspectivas del "ultima ratio" y/o el principio de proporcionalidad en el derecho penal y p&uacute;blico alem&aacute;n, por otro. Al mismo tiempo, se analizan el significado de estos principios en el &aacute;mbito del derecho penal y su aplicaci&oacute;n pr&aacute;ctica por los tribunales.</p> <p>Despu&eacute;s de realizar un an&aacute;lisis hist&oacute;rico y te&oacute;rico del principio de ultima ratio y el principio de proporcionalidad, el &eacute;nfasis principal de este art&iacute;culo radica en estudiar si el Tribunal Constitucional Federal Alem&aacute;n est&aacute; a la altura de las expectativas autoimpuestas al aplicar el principio de ultima ratio y/o el principio de proporcionalidad en las disposiciones de la legislaci&oacute;n penal. El an&aacute;lisis de la jurisprudencia muestra que, con respecto a las disposiciones del derecho penal, estos principios son en realidad m&aacute;s d&eacute;biles que lo que su posici&oacute;n te&oacute;rica sugiere. El autor da varias referencias que reflejan la aplicaci&oacute;n del principio de ultima ratio y/o el principio de proporcionalidad en el sistema jur&iacute;dico alem&aacute;n.</p> <p><strong>DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN</strong>: <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=2200873" target="_blank">http://ssrn.com/abstract=2200873</a></p>
ISSN:2079-5971