Toward New Focus on Retributive Justice. Reflections on Background of Passive Subject of Crime
Toward New Focus on Retributive Justice. Reflections on Background of Passive Subject of Crime

Summary/Abstract: This paper supports the attempt undertaken by its author to take a fresh look at criminal justice in relation to retributivism and conceptual framework of a passive subject of a crime is the starting point for any related consideration, for it seems that retributivism needs new grounds when measures of argument strength are no longer feasible. Therefore, it is postulated to juxtapose the theory of retributive punishment with a victim of a crime in its substantive perspective. However, the criminal law requires reasonable grounds for public response being punishment, not losing sight of a subject whose legal goods are protected by norms of the criminal law but have been directly infringed or imperilled by an offence. After all, it is a victim who suffers in effect of an offence, thus requiring a special approach, especially on the part of relevant public authorities. At the same time, a victim is a subject who may be significant in the context of determination of what an offender deserves, and therefore in the perspective of judicial punishment, too. So, a victim is an important factor, even if we disregard the compensation function of the criminal law. The conceptual framework of a passive subject of a crime, that may be consistently juxtaposed with retributivism, has been specifically highlighted in this paper. This conceptual framework is not contradictory to retributivism, on the contrary, in many respects it is consistent with retributivism and serves the grounds for retributive punishment.

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