Criteria for selecting crimes and determining penalties

Authors

  • Juarez Tavares Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Brasil image/svg+xml

Keywords:

criminal law, power to punish, human dignity, minimum intervention, proportionality

Abstract

The elaboration of incriminating norms is not a neutral activity, but the result of social relations and the hegemonic forces acting in Parliament. Therefore, the power to punish must be subject to material limits that bind the legislator to the protection of human dignity, legal interests, the necessity of punishment, minimum intervention, proportionality, and logical-objective categories. These principles function as criteria for the selection of crimes and the determination of penalties, preventing criminal law from becoming a mere instrument for the communication of power. Their observance constitutes a condition for the legitimacy of a State founded on human rights and democratic participation.

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Author Biography

Juarez Tavares, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Brasil

Professor de Direito Penal na Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro e Procurador da República.

References

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Published

1992-12-01

How to Cite

TAVARES, Juarez. Criteria for selecting crimes and determining penalties. Brazilian Journal of Criminal Science, São Paulo, v. 1, n. 01, p. 75–87, 1992. Disponível em: https://publicacoes.ibccrim.org.br/index.php/RBCCRIM/article/view/3179. Acesso em: 1 sep. 2026.

Issue

Section

National Doctrine
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