Prospects for Expanding the Subject of Penal Law

The paper notes that the issue of the independence of penal law as a branch is not relevant; still the issue on the subject of this branch of law, which is understood in a narrow (classical) and broad senses, remains acute. The classical definition of the subject consists of social relations arising in the execution of all punishments, and now other measures of a criminal law nature. Currently, scientists are increasingly talking about the need to expand the subject of penal law due to the inclusion of public relations in the execution of measures of restraint in form of detention and house arrest; assistance in social adaptation of the persons released from serving of punishment and other measures of criminal legal character; and when applying the non-punitive means of influence on prisoners.

The author does not agree that the penal law should regulate only punishments and other measures of a criminal legal nature, which are a form of realization of criminal responsibility. In this regard, compulsory medical measures, confiscation of property and a court fine cannot be considered as such. If we consider criminal responsibility in a broad sense — as having a coercive rather than punitive character, then all measures of a criminal nature should be covered by it and be the subject of this branch of law. Penal law is not penal executive law but penal law.

The paper notes that not legally, but practically, the execution of detention and house arrest is included in the subject of penal law, as they are executed by institutions and bodies of the Federal Enforcement Service and are included in the course of penal law at the Russian Federal Enforcement Service universities. The author of the paper admits that these preventive measures may be the subject of penal law, which, as in relation to criminal law, is the executive branch in relation to criminal procedure law.

Many scholars believe that post-penitentiary relations are the subject of penal law. Agreeing with them, the author of the paper believes that in this case it is necessary to provide for the purpose of penal legislation — the resocialization of convicts, which includes correction, preparation of convicts for release and their social adaptation after release from punishment. As an example, the author refers to the regulation of such relations in the Penal Code of the Republic of Belarus and Ukraine.

Thus, the subject of penal law should be the criminal executive social relations that develop in the implementation of compulsory institutions of criminal and criminal procedure law, having an executive direction.

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