A criminal code (or penal code) is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that might be imposed for these offences, and some general provisions (such as definitions and prohibitions on retroactive prosecution). Criminal codes are relatively common in civil law jurisdictions, which tend to build legal systems around codes and principles which are relatively abstract and apply them on a case-by-case basis. Conversely they are not as common in

common law In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipres ...

jurisdictions. The proposed introduction of a criminal code in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...

was a significant project of the

Law Commission A law commission, law reform commission, or law revision commission is an independent body set up by a government to conduct law reform; that is, to consider the state of laws in a jurisdiction and make recommendations or proposals for legal chang ...

from 1968 to 2008. Due to the strong tradition of

legal precedent A precedent is a principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Common-law legal systems place great valu ...

in the

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. J ...

and consequently the large number of binding legal judgements and ambiguous '

common law offences Common law offences are crimes under English criminal law, the related criminal law of some Commonwealth countries, and under some U.S. State laws. They are offences under the common law, developed entirely by the law courts, having no specific ...

', as well as the often inconsistent nature of English law, the creation of a satisfactory code became very difficult. The project was officially abandoned in 2008 although as of 2009 it has been revived. A statutory Criminal Law Codification Advisory Committee for

Irish criminal law The Republic of Ireland has no set criminal code. Instead, criminal law is set out in a diverse range of statutes and court decisions. Crime is investigated by the police force, the Garda Síochána. Serious offences are prosecuted by the Director ...

met from 2007 to 2010 and its ''Draft Criminal Code and Commentary'' was published in 2011. In the United States, a

Model Penal Code The Model Penal Code (MPC) is a model act designed to stimulate and assist U.S. state legislatures to update and standardize the penal law of the United States.MPC (Foreword). The MPC was a project of the American Law Institute (ALI), and was pu ...

exists which is not itself law but which provides the basis for the criminal law of many states. Individual states often choose to make use of criminal codes which are often based, to a varying extent on the model code.

Title 18 of the United States Code Title 18 of the United States Code is the main criminal code of the federal government of the United States. The Title deals with federal crimes and criminal procedure. In its coverage, Title 18 is similar to most U.S. state criminal codes, ...

is the criminal code for federal crimes. However, Title 18 does not contain many of the general provisions concerning criminal law that are found in the criminal codes of many so-called "civil law" countries. Criminal codes are generally supported for their introduction of consistency to legal systems and for making the criminal law more accessible to laypeople. A code may help avoid a

chilling effect In a legal context, a chilling effect is the inhibition or discouragement of the legitimate exercise of natural and legal rights by the threat of legal sanction. A chilling effect may be caused by legal actions such as the passing of a law, the ...

where

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...

and case law appears to be either inaccessible or beyond comprehension to non-lawyers. Alternatively critics have argued that codes are too rigid and that they fail to provide enough flexibility for the law to be effective.

By country

* Australian criminal codes *

Criminal Code of Belarus The Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus ( be, Крымінальны кодэкс Рэспублікі Беларусь — КК РБ K RB russian: Уголовный кодекс Республики Беларусь — УК РБ K RB...

Penal Code of Brazil The current Penal Code of Brazil ( pt, Código Penal brasileiro) was promulgated in 1940, during the Estado Novo regime in the Vargas Era, and is in effect since January 1, 1942. It is the third codification of criminal law in the country's hi ...

British Virgin Islands Criminal Code The British Virgin Islands Criminal Code (No 1 of 1997) is a statute of the British Virgin Islands which consolidates almost all of the indictable offences under the Territory's criminal law. The Code was passed into law by the Legislative Cou ...

* Criminal Code (Canada) *

Criminal Code of Chile In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...

Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China The Law of the People's Republic of China, officially referred to as the Socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, is the legal regime of China, with the separate legal traditions and systems of mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. ...

( zh) * Criminal Code of the Czech Republic (2009) *

Danish Penal Code The Danish Penal Code, also known as the Danish Criminal Code ( da, Straffeloven),Retsinformation.dStraffeloven./ref> is the codification of and the foundation of criminal law in Denmark. The updated official full text covers 29 chapters and is als ...

(

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

) *

English Criminal Code The jurisdiction of England and Wales does not have a Criminal Code though such an instrument has been often recommended and attempted. , the Law Commission is again working on the Code. History *1818 - Parliament petitions the Prince Regent fo ...

, a draft has existed since 1989 but, though debated since 1818, has never been enacted *

Criminal Code of Finland The Criminal Code of Finland ( fi, rikoslaki, sv, strafflag) is the codification of the central legal source concerning criminal law in Finland. History The Criminal Code came into effect in 1894, and it has been modified numerous times since the ...

French Penal Code French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

German Criminal Code ''Strafgesetzbuch'' (), abbreviated to ''StGB'', is the German penal code. History In Germany the ''Strafgesetzbuch'' goes back to the Penal Code of the German Empire passed in the year 1871 on May 15 in Reichstag which was largely identica ...

Hungarian Penal Code in English
''status of 18 August 2005''
'' Operative Hungarian Penal Code''
*

General Penal Code (Iceland) General Penal Code ( is, Almenn hegningarlög) governs the criminal law in Iceland. The code is passed under Act no.19 and revised acts have been adopted in principal areas of law, such as the Act on Customs and the Act in Respect of Children. In ...

Indian Penal Code The Indian Penal Code (IPC) is the official criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code intended to cover all substantive aspects of criminal law. The code was drafted on the recommendations of first law commission of India established ...

and Code of Criminal Procedure *

Indonesian Criminal Code The Indonesian Criminal Code ( nl, Wetboek van Strafrecht, WvS), commonly known in Indonesian as ''Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana'' (, derived from Dutch), abbreviated as KUH Pidana or KUHP), were laws and regulations that form the basis of c ...

('' Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana'') and Code of Criminal Procedure ('' Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Acara Pidana'') * Israeli Penal Law, 5737-1977 * Iranian Criminal Code *

Iraqi Penal Code The Iraqi Penal Code is the statutory law of Iraq. Th1969 Penal Codeserves as the basis for current Iraq law. The original Arabic-language version of the law can be accessed through the Iraqi Legal Database. Penal Code A criminal code (or pe ...

* Italian Penal Code *

Penal Code of Japan The Penal Code (刑法 ''Keihō'') of Japan was passed in 1907 as Law No. 45. It is one of six Codes that form the foundation of modern Japanese law. The penal code is also called “ordinary criminal law” or “general criminal law” as it ...

Penal Code of Macau The current Penal Code of Macau ( pt, Código Penal de Macau) was promulgated in 1995, by Decree-Law no. 58/95/M, after the creation of the Legal system of Macau#High Court, High Court of Justice in 1993. Prior to 1995, the 1886 Penal Code of Portu ...

Penal Code (Malaysia) The Penal Code ( ms, Kanun Keseksaan) is a law that codifies most criminal offences and procedures in Malaysia. Its official long title is "An Act relating to criminal offences" hroughout Malaysia—31 March 1976, Act A327; P.U. (B) 139/1976 Th ...

, enacted in 1936. * Criminal Code of Malta, enacted in 1854. *

Mexican Penal Code Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

, enacted on August 14, 1931. *

General Code of Nepal The ''National Code'' ( ne, मुलुकी ऐन; Muluki Ain, literally: Nation's Code) is a single comprehensive code that includes criminal and civil code along with the code of procedures of Nepal. The National Code has been replaced by ...

* Penal Code of the Netherlands ('' Wetboek van Strafrecht'') * New Zealand Crimes Act 1961 *

Pakistan Penal Code The Pakistan Penal Code (; ), abbreviated as PPC, is a penal code for all offences charged in Pakistan. It was originally prepared by Lord Macaulay with a great consultation in 1860 on the behalf of the Government of India as the Indian Penal ...

Revised Penal Code of the Philippines The Revised Penal Code contains the general penal laws of the Philippines. First enacted in 1930, it remains in effect today, despite several amendments thereto. It does not comprise a comprehensive compendium of all Philippine penal laws. The ...

Polish Penal Code ''Kodeks Karny'' is Poland's criminal-law code. The name is often abbreviated ''KK''. Modern Polish legal history has seen the introduction of three penal codes: in 1932; in 1969, during the communist era; and in 1997. The last of those has been ...

Penal Code of Portugal The current Penal Code of Portugal ( pt, Código Penal Português) was promulgated in 1982 and came into force on 1 January 1983 after the adoption of the Portuguese Constitution of 1976. The new Penal Code replaced the old one of 1886 after the end ...

Penal Code of Romania The Penal Code of Romania (''Codul penal al României'') is a document providing the legal basis regarding criminal law in Romania. The Code contains 446 articles. The articles mention aspects such as the national boundaries of law and the crimes t ...

Criminal Code of Russia The Russian Criminal Code (russian: Уголовный кодекс Российской Федерации, frequently abbreviated УК РФ) is the prime source of the Law of the Russian Federation concerning criminal offences. The 1996 Crim ...

* Penal Code of South Korea *

Penal Code of Sri Lanka Penal Code (''Ordinance No. 2 of 1883)'' enacts the Criminal and Penal law of Sri Lanka. The Act/Law was adopted in 1883. There were two amendments An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other lega ...

Penal Code of Singapore The Penal Code 1871 sets out general principles of the criminal law of Singapore, as well as the elements and penalties of general criminal offences such as assault, criminal intimidation, mischief, grievous hurt, theft, extortion, sex crimes a ...

Spanish Criminal Code The Criminal Code is a law that codifies most criminal offences in Spain. The Code is established by an organic law, the Organic Law 10/1995, of 23 November, of the Criminal Code (''Ley Orgánica 10/1995, de 23 de noviembre, del Código Penal' ...

, enacted for the first time in 1822. Current version dates back to 1995. *

Swiss Criminal Code , french: Code pénal suisse (CP), it, Codice penale svizzero (CP), rm, Cudesch penal svizzer , citation = , territorial_extent = Switzerland , enacted_by = Federal Assembly of Switzerland , date_enacted = 20 Decemb ...

Syrian Penal Code The Syrian Penal Code ( ar, قانون العقوبات السوري) is the current statutory criminal code of Syria. It was promulgated in 1949 and enacted on 22 June 1949. The criminal code consists of 756 articles. {{Infobox legislation, sho ...

Turkish Penal Code Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

(also see its articles

301 __NOTOC__ Year 301 ( CCCI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Postumius and Nepotianus (or, less frequently, year 1054 ...

and

312 __NOTOC__ Year 312 ( CCCXII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Licinianus (or, less frequently ...

) *

Criminal Code of Ukraine The legal system of Ukraine is based on the framework of civil law, and belongs to the Romano-Germanic legal tradition. The main source of legal information is codified law. Customary law and case law are not as common, though case law is of ...

by the American Law Institute *

List of U.S. state statutory codes This is an incomplete list of statutory codes from the U.S. states, territories, and the one federal district. Most states use a single official code divided into numbered titles. Pennsylvania's official codification is still in progress. Califor ...

* Vietnamese Penal Code, first enacted in 1985

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Criminal Code

By country

See also

References