Tema 2. Derecho Penal (Criminal Law) PDF

Tema 2. Derecho Penal (Criminal Law) Inglés jurídico y empresarial Contents - 1. General terminology in Criminal Law - Principles of Criminal Law - Rights of the accused - 2. Overview of different Crimes and Offences - 3. Corporate Criminal Liability and Offences 1. General te...

Tema 2. Derecho Penal (Criminal Law) Inglés jurídico y empresarial Contents - 1. General terminology in Criminal Law - Principles of Criminal Law - Rights of the accused - 2. Overview of different Crimes and Offences - 3. Corporate Criminal Liability and Offences 1. General terminology. Principles of Criminal Law - Principio de legalidad (Principle of Legality) - Principio de proporcionalidad de la pena (Principle of proportional punishment or that a punishment should fit the crime) - Principio de culpabilidad (Principle of Culpability or Guilt) - Principio de resocialización (Principal of Rehabilitation) - Principio de humanidad de las penas (Principle of Humane Punishment) - The objective or ‘end game’ is not retribution (‘an eye for an eye’) - Non bis in idem (double jeopardy) - In dubio pro reo (lenity doctrine) Principles and rights of the accused in relation to due process - Derecho a la tutela judicial efectiva → Right to due process or the right to the effective protection of the courts - Derecho a un proceso público con todas las garantías → Right to a public trial with all due procedural guarantees - Derecho a un juicio sin dilaciones indebidas → Right to a speedy trial / Trial to a trial without undue delays - Derecho a un juicio justo → Right to a fair trial - Principio acusatorio → Accusatory principle - Derecho a conocer o ser informado de la acusación → Right to be informed of the charges Principles and rights of the accused in relation to due process - Derecho de defensa → Right of defense - Derecho a la asistencia letrada → Right to (legal) counsel; Right to be assisted by a lawyer - Derecho a la asistencia jurídica gratuita → Right to free legal aid; right to assigned/appoint counsel - Derecho a no confesarse culpable → Prohibition against self incrimination/Privilege against self incrimination - Derecho a la presunción de inocencia → Innocent until proven guilty - Derecho a la autodefensa → Right to self-representation / Right to represent oneself in court / Right to proceed pro per - Derecho a un juez imparcial en un proceso público → Right to an impartial judge and to a public trial - Derecho a recurrir ante un tribunal superior → Right to appeal to a higher court General terminology. Principles of Criminal Law What is a criminal offence? What types of criminal offences are there? - Delito activo o comisivo → Crime of commission (‘to commit a crime’) - Delito por omisión → Crime by omission or a ‘failure to act’ - Delito grave (serious crime or felony) vs. delito menos grave (lesser crime or felony) - ¿Y una falta? Suele denominarse ‘misdemeanor’ or a ‘minor violation/infringement’. También puede llamarse ‘petty offense’. General terminology. Principles of Criminal Law - La relación de causalidad entre la conducta y el resultado se denomina nexo causal / The causal relationship between a conduct and the result is known as a causal connection/link - Dolo → Criminal intent - Imprudencia → Negligence - Error → Mistake - Culpabilidad → Culpability or guilt General terminology. Principles of Criminal Law Delitos incompletos 1. Conspiración → Criminal conspiracy 2. Proposición → Criminal solicitation 3. Provocación/Incitación → Incitement to commit a Crime 4. Apología del delito → Advocating Crime (for example, expounding before a group of people ideas that ‘glorify’ a crime or its perpetrators) 5. Tentativa de delito → Criminal Attempt or an ‘Attempted Crime’ General terminology. Principles of Criminal Law Types of punishment and sanctions Tipos de penas prohibidas en nuestro ordenamiento / Punishments that are forbidden in our legal system - Inhuman and degrading punishment - Corporal punishment - Forced labour - Death penalty or capital punishment General terminology. Principles of Criminal Law The purpose is not retribution, but rather to rehabilitate and reinsert/reintegrate the offender into society. A person who after committing a crime continues to engage in criminal activity is known as a recidivist (reincidente). For example: Their basic criticism was that prisons do not reduce the crime rate, they cause recidivism. Custodial Sentences (Penas privativas de libertad) a. Pena de prisión → Prison sentence / sentence of incarceration i. In which the offender would spend a certain amount of time in jail to serve their sentence or “do time” (cumplir condena) ii. When an offender is released from prison, they may be placed on parole (libertad condicional) or early release. ! Nota. En EE.UU. se diferencia entre ‘Parole’ and ‘Probation’. La primera se refiere a libertad condicional, mientras que la segunda más bien a la suspensión de la ejecución de la pena. b. Other examples: i. House arrest or confinement to a place determined by the judge ii. Possibility of serving a sentence on weekend the prison or correctional facility closest to the offender’s home address 2. Overview of different Crimes / Offences Non-custodial sentences a. Forfeiture of rights i. Disqualification (inhabilitación; absolute vs. specific) ii. Suspension from public employment iii. Forfeiture or loss of the right to drive motor vehicles / to reside or travel to certain places iv. Prohibition to approach or communicate with the victim or their family members v. Forfeiture/loss of legal custody or parental rights b. Community service c. Fines (also called ‘financial or monetary penalties’) Imposición de la multa → to impose / levy a fine  2. Overview of different Crimes / Offences Criminal Homicide (Homicidio) - Asesinato → Murder - Homicidio imprudente → Negligent homicide (imprudencia grave lo denominamos ‘gross negligence’ or ‘reckless behaviour’). - Ensañamiento o alevosía → Deliberate cruelty or the use of calculated impunity - Auxilio e inducción al suicidio → Aiding and Inducement to Suicide Battery or Bodily harm (Lesiones) - Consisting in causing injury to another person in a way that may impair his/her physical welfare or well-being or physical or mental health. - Not to be confused with ‘Assault’ → This is the intentional act that provokes or creates a reasonable fear in the other person that they’ll be physically harmed Assault Battery Threat of Physical violence contact; causes bodily harm 2. Overview of different Crimes / Offences Offenses against personal freedom (Delitos contra la libertad) - Unlawful imprisonment / detention (detenciones ilegales) and Kidnapping (secuestro) - Threats (Amenazas) - Amenaza de muerte: Death threat - Amenaza de lesiones: Threat of bodily harm or injury - Coercion (coacciones) - Torture and Offences against psychological welfare (Torturas y delitos contra la integridad moral) 2. Overview of different Crimes / Offences Offences against a person’s sexual freedom and security (Delitos contra la libertad e indemnidad sexual) - Sexual assault (Agresiones sexuales) and sexual abuse (Abusos sexuales) - Rape (violación) - Sexual Harassment (Acoso) Omisión del deber de socorro → Failure to render or provide aid/assistance; failure to come to someone’s aid Ejemplos: ‘The offender failed to come to the victim’s aid after hitting him with his car, in what we could consider a clear ‘hit and run’ (atropello con fuga)’. 2. Overview of different Crimes / Offences Offences against the right to privacy, Publicity Rights and the Inviolability of your personal Residence (Delitos contra la intimidad, el derecho a la propia imagen y la inviolabilidad del domicilio) - Invasion of privacy (vulneración o intromisión de la intimidad) - Unauthorised access and disclosure of confidential information (Descubrimiento y revelación de secretos) - Trespassing (Allanamiento) → We could also say ‘wrongful/unauthorised/unlawful entry’ Offences against a person’s honour (Delitos contra el honour) 1. Calumnias → False accusation of a crime; wrongful accusation of a criminal offence. 2. Injurias → Criminal defamation, verbal insults a. Si es por escrito → Libel b. Si es verbal → Slander 2. Overview of different Crimes / Offences Offences against property (Delitos contra el patrimonio) - Theft → Hurto (Also known as ‘Larceny’) - In the UK/US, we define this as a person who dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it. - Burglary/Robbery → Robo - In the UK/US, we say that when somebody takes the personal property of another using forcible entry to the place they are located is ‘burglary’; and when the person uses violence or intimidation against persons, without consent and for economic gain (‘robbery’). 2. Overview of different Crimes / Offences Otros delitos Trata de seres humanos - Human trafficking Tráfico ilegal y trasplante de órganos → Illegal trafficking or procurement and transplant(ation) of human organs. Delitos de manipulación genética → Offences involving genetic manipulation (for example, altering genotypes, manufacture of biological weapons, embryo selection, human cloning, unlawful fertilisation of ova or oocytes) 3. Corporate Criminal Liability and Offences Cometer estafa → To commit fraud. El elemento central consiste en el engaño empleado por el defraudador, es decir, the deceit or deception by the fraudfeasor or defrauder. Apropriación indebida → Misappropriation (for example, of money, commercial paper, securities or any personal property or assets) Insolvencia punible → Fraud in insolvency or fraudulent insolvency; i.e. committed by an offender who may carry out fraudulent acts with the aim of avoiding the payment of a certain debt. For example, the concealment of assets/fraudulent conveyance (alzamiento de bienes), disposals of property (actos de disposición patrimonial), etc. 3. Corporate Criminal Liability and Offences Examples of Crimes committed in the Corporate Sphere (Ejemplos de Delitos societarios) Offences of falsifying corporate documents or annual accounts/financial statements and offer documents that should reflect an entity's legal and financial standing or a true and fair view of their situation (imagen fiel) Obstructing or hindering with the exercise of shareholders rights, or wrongfully denying or preventing a shareholder from exercising their corporate rights Corporate mismanagement or fraudulent corporate management (administración social desleal or fraudulenta) 3. Corporate Criminal Liability and Offences Falsedades - Falsification, Counterfeit, Forgery Falsificación de moneda → Counterfeiting of Money - Introducción en España o exportación de moneda falsa o alterada → Importing into Spain or exporting counterfeit money. Falsedades documentales → Forgery of documents - Falsificar → To falsify; to forge - Falsificación → Falsification; forgery - Different types: - Forgery of public / private documents, certificates, etc 3. Corporate Criminal Liability and Offences Tráfico de influencias → Influence peddling - Influencing a civil servant (funcionario) or public official for the purpose of obtaining a decision resulting in economic gain. Malversación → Embezzlement - For example, appropriating or consenting to the appropriation of public funds and instruments that may be in your care or under your supervision, or belonging to an organisation or business you work for.  3. Corporate Criminal Liability and Offences Corrupción → Corruption ¿Existe una única equivalencia en derecho penal español? ¿o más bien abarca una serie de conductas punibles? Bribery → Cohecho Influence peddling → tráfico de Influencias 3. Corporate Criminal Liability and Offences Money Laundering (Blanqueo de Capitales) Money laundering is the process by which criminals conceal the illegal origin of their property or income. Phases: The first stage involves the placement of the illicit profits into a legitimate financial system. The second stage is the layering, which involves a series of conversions or movements of the funds to distance them from their source. The third stage is the integration, when the laundered profits re-enter the legitimate economy, through investments into real estate, luxury assets, or business ventures. 3. Corporate Criminal Liability and Offences Delitos contra la administración de justicia - Prevaricación judicial → Unfair decisions knowingly rendered by judges - Omisión del deber de impedir la comisión de un delito o de promover su persecución → Failure of the Duty to Prevent or Prosecute Offenses - Encubrimiento → Aiding and Abetting after the fact - Acusación y denuncia falsa; simulación de delitos → False accusations or False reporting of a crime; Feigning the commission of crimes/offences - Falso testimonio → Perjury - Obstrucción a la justicia y deslealtad profesional → Obstruction of justice / perverting the course of justice; and professional misconduct  3. Corporate Criminal Liability and Offences Otros - Descubrimiento y revelación de secretos → To divulge/reveal confidential/privileged information - Usurpación de bienes inmuebles → Unlawful appropriation or occupation of property - Okupar un inmueble → To squat ( or “squatting”) - Delitos contra la hacienda pública y la seguridad social → Offenses against the Public Treasury and the Social Security System - Tax Fraud (Delito Fiscal); subsidy fraud (Delito de fraude de subvenciones); tax accounting fraud (delito contable tributario), etc 3. Corporate Criminal Liability and Offences Ejemplos de Penas impuestas a personas jurídicas - Examples of Sentences / Sanctions / Penalties Imposed on Legal Entities or Corporate Enterprises Multas por cuotas o proporcional → Day fines or proportional fines Disolución de las personas jurídicas → Dissolution or corporate entities Clausura de locales y establecimientos → Closing of business premises and establishments Inhabilitación para obtener subvenciones y ayudas públicas → Disqualification from obtaining public subsidies and aid