Limits of Criminal Law

In the fight against national and international crime and other forms of impediment, modern western governments increase the use of criminal law. Both in the procedural criminal law and the substantive criminal law, new codes, powers and means of coercion are introduced by governments. Several of these instruments make it possible for state party governments to intervene in the private lives of citizens in a substantive and aggravated manner. In the name of crime prevention and public security, governments are even willing to disregard fundamental principals that have long been defined in criminal law. Questions that logically rise are: how far can we go? What are the limits to criminal law and what are the consequenses of crossing them?