Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Punishment & Society
This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Dünkel, F.
Right arrow Articles by van Zyl Smit, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

The implementation of youth imprisonment and constitutional law in Germany

Frieder Dünkel

University of Greifswald, Germany

Dirk van Zyl Smit

University of Nottingham, UK

This article considers the impact that constitutional law can have on penal policy through an analysis of current developments in the law governing youth prisons in Germany. It sketches the emergence of constitutional guidelines for the development of German prison law generally and then pays close attention to a recent decision of the German Federal Constitutional Court on the constitutionality of current provisions on the implementation of youth imprisonment. The implications of the judgment of the Court for future German legislation in this area are outlined. Particular attention is paid to the emphasis that the legislator is expected to place on international minimum standards and to the role research on treatment plays in setting limits to legislative discretion. The conclusion considers the wider implications for penal policy of combining a formal rule that constitutionally guaranteed rights of prisoners can only be restricted by primary legislation, with substantive constitutional requirements for the objectives of penal legislation and for how these objectives should be met. It argues that such a rule is potentially applicable not only in Germany but also in other countries with similar constitutional traditions.

Key Words: juvenile justice • penal policy • youth imprisonment

References

  • Andrews, D.A., I. Zinger, R.D. Hoge, J. Bonta, P. Gendreau and F.T. Cullen (1990) `Does correctional treatment work? A clinically relevant and psychologically informed meta-analysis', Criminology 28(3): 369—404.[CrossRef][Web of Science]
  • Baden-Württemberg (2006) Justizministerium Baden-Württemberg Entwurf eines Jugendstrafvollzugsgesetzes (JStVollzG, E-BW). Stuttgart: Justizministerium Baden-Württemberg. Available at http://www.jum.baden-wuerttemberg.de/servlet/PB/show/1200200/E-JStVollzG-BW%20Stand%2007062006.pdf
  • Bavaria (2006) Bayerisches Staatsministerium der Justiz Gesetz über den Vollzug der Freiheitsstrafe, der Jugendstrafe und der Sicherungsverwahrung. Bayerisches Strafvollzugsgesetz — BayStVollzG. Diskussionsentwurf. Stand: 3 August 2006. München: Bayerisches Staatsministerium der Justiz. Available at http://www.justiz.bayern.de/imperia/md/content/stmj_internet/ministerium/ministerium/gesetzgebung/gesetzentwurf_baystvollzg.pdf
  • Cavadino, M. and J. Dignan (2006) Penal systems: A comparative approach. London: Sage Publications.
  • Cornel, H. (2005) `Gesetzgebungskompetenz für den Strafvollzug — Föderalismuskommission wünscht Übertragung auf Länder', Neue Kriminalpolitik 17: 2—3.
  • Council of Europe (2006) European prison rules. Recommendation Rec. (2006) 2 of the Committee of Ministers to member states of the Council of Europe on the European Prison Rules. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing.
  • Dünkel, F. (1990) Freiheitsentzug für junge Rechtsbrecher. Bonn: Forum Verlag Godesberg.
  • Dünkel, F. (1992) Brauchen wir ein Jugendstrafvollzugsgesetz? Zeitschift für Rechtspolitik 25: 176—81.
  • Dünkel, F. (1996) Empirische Forschung im Strafvollzug. Bonn: Forum Verlag Godesberg.
  • Dünkel, F. (1999) `Jugendstrafvollzug zwischen Erziehung und Strafe — Entwicklungen und Perspektiven im internationalen Vergleich', in W. Feuerhelm, H.-D. Schwind and M. Bock (eds) Festschrift für Alexander Böhm, pp. 99—140. Berlin & New York: Walter de Gruyter.
  • Dünkel, F. (2004) `Die Öffnung des Vollzugs und Vollzugslockerungen als Sicherheitsrisiko?', in Strafverteidigervereinigungen (eds) Internationalisierung des Strafrechts. Fortschritt oder Verlust an Rechtsstaatlichkeit? 27 Strafverteidigertag, Dresden, 14—16 märz 2003, pp. 89—129. Berlin: Schriftenreihe der Strafverteidigervereinigungen.
  • Dünkel, F. (2006a) `Die Reform des Jugendstrafvollzugs in Deutschland ', in T. Feltes, C. Pfeiffer and G. Steinhilper (eds) Kriminalpolitik und ihre wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen. Festschrift für Prof. Dr. Hans-Dieter Schwind zum 70 geburtstag, pp. 549—70. Heidelberg: C. F. Müller Verlag.
  • Dünkel, F. (2006b) `Juvenile justice in Germany', in E.L. Jensen and J. Jepsen (eds) Juvenile law violators, human rights, and the development of new juvenile justice systems, pp. 115—53. Oxford: Hart Publishing.
  • Dünkel, F. and K. Drenkhahn (2001) `Behandlung im Strafvollzug: Von "nothing works" zu "something works"', in M. Bereswill and W. Greve (eds) Forschungsthema Strafvollzug, pp. 387—417. Baden-Baden: Nomos.
  • Dünkel, F. and H. Schüler-Springorum (2006) `Strafvollzug als Ländersache? Der "Wettbewerb der Schäbigkeit" ist schon im Gange!', Zeitschrift für Strafvolluzug und Straffälligenhilfe 55: 145—9.
  • Dünkel, F. and A. Pörksen (2007) `Stand der Gesetzgebung zum Jugendstrafvollzug und erste Einschätzungen', Neue Kriminalpolitik 19: 61—73.
  • Eisenberg, U. (2004) `Zum RefE eines JStVollzG', Monatsschrift für Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform 87: 353—60.
  • Federal Ministry of Justice (2006)/Bundesministerium der Justiz (2006) Entwurf eines Gesetzes zur Regelung des Jugendstrafvollzuges (GJVollz). Stand: 7 Juni 2006. Berlin: Bundesministerium der Justiz (also at http://www.bmj.de/media/archive/1237.pdf ).
  • Feeley, M. and J. Rubin (1999) Judicial policy making and the modern state: How the courts reformed America's prisons. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Feest, J. (ed.) (2006) Kommentar zum Strafvollzugsgesetz (AK-StVollzG), 5th edn. Neuwied: Luchterhand.
  • Frankfurter Rundschau (2006) Press release of the Hamburg Ministry of Justice, Frankfurter Rundschau, 24 July, p. 4.
  • Lazarus, L. (2004) Contrasting prisoners' rights: A comparative examination of England and Germany. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Lazarus, L. (2006) `Conceptions of liberty deprivation', Modern Law Review 69(5): 738—69.[CrossRef]
  • Lipton, D.S. (1998) `The effectiveness of correctional treatment revisited thirty years later: Preliminary meta-analytic findings from the CDATE study ', lecture to International Society of Criminology, Seoul, 24—9 August. Available from doug.lipton@earthlink.org
  • Lösel, F. (1993) `Sprechen evaluationsergebnisse von Meta-Analysen für einen frischen Wind in der Straftäterbehandlung?', in R. Egg (ed.) Sozialtherapie in den 90er Jahren, pp. 21—31. Wiesbaden: KrimZ.
  • Lösel, F. (2001) `Behandlung oder Verwahrung? Ergebnisse und Perspektiven der Interventionen bei "psychopathischen" Straftätern', in G. Rehn, B. Wischka, F. Lösel and M. Walter (eds) Behandlung `gefährlicher Straftäter ', pp. 36—53. Herbolzheim: Centaurus.
  • Lütkes, A. (2006) `Zuständigkeit der Länder für den Strafvollzug?', Neue Kriminalpolitik 18: 2.
  • McGuire, J. (ed.) (2003) Offender rehabilitation and treatment: Effective programmes and policies to reduce re-offending. Chichester: John Wiley.
  • Ostendorf, H. (2006) `Konsequenzen aus dem Urteil des Bundesverfassungsgerichts vom 31.5.2006 für die gesetzliche Ausgestaltung des Jugendstrafvollzugs', Neue Kriminalpolitik 18: 91—3.
  • Schüler-Springorum, H. (1969) Strafvollzug im Übergang. Göttingen: Otto Schwartz.
  • Seebode, M. (2006) Gutachtliche Stellungnahme zum Entwurf eines Gesetzes zur Änderung des Grundgesetzes (BT-Dr.s 16/813) vom 7.3.2006. Available at http://webarchiv.bundestag.de/archive/2006/1107/ausschuesse/a06/foederalismusreform/Anhoerung/02_Justiz/Stellungnahmen/index.html
  • Sherman, L.W., D.P. Farrington, B.C. Welsh and D.L. MacKenzie (eds) (2006) Evidence-based crime prevention. London & New York: Routledge.
  • Tondorf, G. (2006) `Musterentwurf zu einem Jugendstrafvollzugsgesetz der Länder', unpublished manuscript, Cologne.
  • Tonry, M. (2004) Punishment and politics: Evidence and emulation in the making of English crime control policy. Cullompton: Willan.
  • United Nations (1985) Standard minimum rules for the administration of juvenile justice (`The Beijing Rules') adopted by General Assembly Resolution 40/33 of 29 November 1985.
  • United Nations (1989) Convention on the rights of the child, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989; entered into force 2 September 1990.
  • United Nations (1990a) Guidelines for the prevention of juvenile delinquency (`The Riyadh Guidelines'), adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 45/112 of 14 December 1990.
  • United Nations (1990b) Rules for the protection of juveniles deprived of their liberty, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 45/113 of 14 December 1990.
  • Van Bueren, G. (1992) `Child-oriented justice — an international challenge for Europe', International Journal of Law and Family 6(3): 381—99.[CrossRef]
  • Van Zyl Smit, D. (1988) `Leave of absence for West German prisoners: Legal principle and administrative practice', British Journal of Criminology 28(1): 1—18.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  • Van Zyl Smit, D. (1999) `Anchoring the treatment of sentenced prisoners in a rights discourse: The example of prison labour in German prison law', South African Law Journal 116: 613—24.
  • Vennard, J. and C. Hedderman (1998) `Effective interventions with offenders', in P. Goldblatt and C. Lewis (eds) Reducing offending: An assessment of research evidence on ways of dealing with offending behaviour, pp. 101—19. London: Home Office.
  • Walter, J. (2004) `Zur situation des Jugendvollzuges', in H. Pollähne, K. Bammann and J. Feest (eds) Wege aus der Gesetzlosigkeit: Rechtslage und Regelungsbedürftigkeit des Jugendstrafvollzugs, pp. 1—15. Mönchengladbach: Forum Verlag Godesberg.
  • Walter, J. (2005) `Jugendstrafvollzugsgesetz: Ein Schritt nach vorn oder zurück in die Kleinstaaterei?', Neue Kriminalpolitik 17: 17—18.

Punishment & Society, Vol. 9, No. 4, 347-369 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1462474507080470
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?



This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Dünkel, F.
Right arrow Articles by van Zyl Smit, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?