罪刑法定在刑事司法中的命运——由一则案例引出的法律思考

The Fate of the Principle of Legally Prescribed Punishment for a Specific Crime in the Administration of Criminal Justice in China

刑事司法活动中 ,司法机关不能逾越刑法的明文规定去寻求法律的灵活性价值 ,更不能以“社会需要”为借口侵入立法权的领地。基于对安全价值的偏重 ,刑法之确定性与适应性的矛盾不可避免。在这二者的对立中 ,我们可以通过以下三种力量达成一种相对合理的平衡状态 :司法能动的有限发挥、立法权力的适时跟进与社会对刑法无能的部分耐受。可以说 ,忍受法无明文规定的危害行为 ,是社会为了维护刑法正义所付出的必要代价 ;而对刑法根基的真正伤害 ,更可能来自刑罚权的不当使用。在肖永灵投寄虚假炭疽杆菌邮件一案中 。

In the administration of criminal justice, judicial organs may not go beyond the limits of express provisions of criminal law to pursue the value of flexibility of law. Nor can they invade the territory of legislative power on the excuse of 'social needs'. Due to the emphasis on the value of security, there is an inevitable conflict between the certainty and flexibility of the criminal law. A relatively reasonable balance can be reached between the two by limited judicial activism, timely follow-up of the legislative power and a certain degree of tolerance by the society of the incompetence of the criminal law. The tolerance of the harmful acts that are not expressly provided for by the criminal law is a price that must be paid for the maintenance of the criminal justice. The real harm to the criminal law perhaps comes from the improper use of the power of criminal punishment.