树立理性刑法观——以审视刑法的有限性为视角

The Establishment of a Rational Idea of Criminal Law——from the Perspective of Limitations of Criminal Law

由于自身属性的制约,刑法保护社会秩序和保障人权的功能具有有限性。刑法不是打击犯罪唯一甚至决定性手段,对罪犯的人权保障必须建立在对罪犯惩罚的基础之上。作为一种法律规范,刑法只对类型化的危害行为具有普适性,无法规制社会生活中的特例。罪刑法定原则从深度上要求刑法条文的明确性来保证刑法安定,而刑法适用宽度又要求条文的模糊性来保证刑法的灵活性。因而我们必须审视刑法的有限性,树立正确的刑法观。

Restricted by its nature, criminal law has limitations in its protection of social order and guarantee of human rights. Criminal law cannot be the only, nor the decisive, means to suppress crime. Protection of the criminal＇ s human rights must be based on the penalty of the criminal. Criminal law, as a legal norm, is general only to hatlnful behaviors of certain categories. It cannot cover the special cases in society. The principle of a legally prescribed punishment requires that provisions of criminal law be unequivocal so as to maintain its security while the range of criminal law＇ s application requires that provisions of criminal law be equivocal so as to maintain its flexibility. It is thus important to realize the limitations of criminal law and to establish a proper idea of criminal law.