Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Ultima Ratio as a Constitutional Principle

2012; Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law; Volume: 3; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Italiano

10.15496/publikation-52649

2079-5971

Kaarlo Tuori,

Criminal Justice and Penology

The paper argues the criminal law notion of ultima ratio is an instance of a broader constitutional law principle of proportionality. However, ultima ratio is not the only principle relevant in a constitutional assessment of criminalization. The role of ultima ratio is to impose limitations on criminalization. But constitutional doctrines also exist which call for criminalization and might even be seen as establishing a criminalization obligation. The paper examines three constitutional counter weights to ultima ratio. The first of these is discussed in the context of state constitutions. This is the cluster of the interrelated constitutional doctrines of the horizontal effect of fundamental rights and the protective duty of the state, as well as the understanding of collective security as a basic right. These doctrines are analysed in the light of the praxis of the German Constitutional Court and the Finnish Constitutional Law Committee. The two other constitutional counterweights are discussed at the level of the transnational, European constitution. These are the principles of precaution and effectiveness. Este articulo defiende que el concepto de ultima ratio es una instancia mas amplia del principio de proporcionalidad dentro del derecho constitucional. Sin embargo, el ultima ratio no es el unico principio relevante en la valoracion constitucional de la criminalizacion. El papel del ultima ratio es imponer limites a la criminalizacion. Pero tambien existen doctrinas constitucionales que exigen la criminalizacion e incluso dan pie a entender que obligan a establecer una pena. El documento examina tres contrapesos constitucionales al ultima ratio. En primer lugar, se analiza en el contexto de las constituciones estatales. Este es el conjunto de las doctrinas constitucionales interrelacionadas entre el efecto horizontal de los derechos fundamentales y el deber de proteccion del Estado, asi como la asuncion de la seguridad colectiva como un derecho fundamental. Estas doctrinas se analizan a la luz de la praxis de la Corte Constitucional de Alemania y del Comite de Derecho Constitucional Finlandes. Los otros dos contrapesos constitucionales, los principios de precaucion y eficiencia, se discuten en el ambito de la constitucion transnacional europea. DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN : http://ssrn.com/abstract=2200869