Constitutionalization of Criminal Law as a Mechanism for Defining its Limits

Criminal law providing for the most sever forms of state coercion is subject to heightened legal requirements. Effective constraints on criminal law cannot be defined solely at the level of federal legislation or derived from extra-legal sources. Contemporary understanding of the rule-of-law state presupposes that criminal law is limited by constitutional provisions. Comprehensive constitutionalization of criminal law simultaneously takes into account the rights of persons subject to criminal liability and of victims, preventing both excessive and insufficient coercion. Formally, constitutionalization aims to maintain criminal legislation in compliance with constitutional provisions. In substantive terms, it safeguards individual and collective constitutional rights by defining the constitutional limits of criminal legislation within which the lawmaker retains discretion to select the most appropriate means of legal regulation. The direct effect of constitutional norms prevents the enactment of unconstitutional criminal legislation, unconstitutional law enforcement, and unconstitutional legal interpretation. The study defines the constitutional foundations of criminal law and elucidates the logical structure of the relevant norms aimed at both legislators and law-enforcement authorities. By their nature, such norms either constrain or legitimize criminal law and criminal policy decisions, while priority is accorded to restrictive prescriptions. In substantive terms, the constitutional foundations are predominantly expressed through the State's negative obligations in the sphere of criminal law.

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