Riboto pakaltinamumo sampratos problematika Lietuvos baudžiamojoje teisėje

Since there was no possibility to diminish criminal responsibility of individuals who committed criminal acts because of certain mental disorders which restricted their mental faculties, and since the goal was to enact a more humane criminal policy which would prioritise human rights, the concept of diminished responsibility was introduced. It has been noted, that although statistical data demonstrates that the number of individuals with mental issues is on the rise in Lithuania, diminished responsibility is rarely applied in court practice. Moreover, there is a shortage of comprehensive and systematic examinations of this concept in the scientific literature and the criminal law practice lacks research on the functionality of the concept of diminished responsibility in order to apply it more effectively. Considering the progress of medical science, the review of the consistency between legal and medical perception and assessment of certain conditions associated with diminished responsibility is demanded. Since the law practice of determining diminished responsibility is questionable and the relationship is still unclear between diminished responsibility and other mental states of an individual that have been enshrined in the CCRL as circumstances that mitigate criminal responsibility or as components of privileged murder or health impairment, the research aims to uncover the concept and significance of diminished responsibility theoretically and practically, analysing it in the context of the regulations in the countries that have greater experience of applying diminished responsibility and also revealing the mechanism of this concept’s functionality in the practice of Lithuanian courts.Lietuvoje dar iki naujojo baudžiamojo kodekso priėmimo 2000 metais buvo atkreiptas dėmesys į asmenų su psichikos sutrikimais baudžiamosios atsakomybės problematiką. Mokslinėje doktrinoje buvo ginčijamas riboto pakaltinamumo sampratos nepripažinimas, pažymint, jog esama nemažai žmonių, kurie tik iš dalies supranta savo veiksmų prasmę ir gali juos valdyti, ir kurie, vargu, ar gali būti prilyginti visiškai psichiškai sveikiems. Atsižvelgiant į tai, kad galiojantis baudžiamasis įstatymas nesudarė galimybės švelninti baudžiamosios atsakomybės asmenims, padariusiems nusikalstamas veikas dėl tam tikrų psichikos sutrikimų, nepanaikinančių pakaltinamumo, tačiau jį apribojančių, bei tuo pačiu siekiant vykdyti humaniškesnę baudžiamąją politiką, teikiant prioritetą žmogaus teisėms, įvestas riboto pakaltinamumo institutas. Moksliniame diskurse pastebima, jog, nepaisant augančio teisiamų asmenų su psichikos sutrikimais skaičiaus, riboto pakaltinamumo institutas taikomas retai, be to, trūksta tyrimų, susijusių su minėto instituto funkcionavimu teismų praktikoje, siekiant efektyvesnio jo taikymo. Atsižvelgiant į medicinos mokslo pažangą, taip pat tikslingas ir tam tikrų būsenų, siejamų su ribotu pakaltinamumu, atitikimo medicininiam suvokimui įvertinimas. Kadangi riboto pakaltinamumo nustatymo praktika kelia abejonių, nėra aiškus jo santykis su nepakaltinamumu bei kitomis būsenomis, esančiomis atskirų nusikalstamos veikos sudėčių dalimi (gimdymo nulemta būsena ir fiziologiniu afektu), tyrimu siekiama atskleisti pačią riboto pakaltinamumo sampratą, identifikuojant ir apibrėžiant jos turinį sudarančius medicininį ir juridinį kriterijus Lietuvos ir užsienio baudžiamuosiuose įstatymuose ir teismų praktikoje bei įvertinti jo santykį su gimdymo nulemta būsena ir fiziologiniu afektu

The issue of diminished responsibility in Lithuanian criminal law

Lietuvoje dar iki naujojo baudžiamojo kodekso priėmimo 2000 metais buvo atkreiptas dėmesys į asmenų su psichikos sutrikimais baudžiamosios atsakomybės problematiką. Mokslinėje doktrinoje buvo ginčijamas riboto pakaltinamumo sampratos nepripažinimas, pažymint, jog esama nemažai žmonių, kurie tik iš dalies supranta savo veiksmų prasmę ir gali juos valdyti, ir kurie, vargu, ar gali būti prilyginti visiškai psichiškai sveikiems. Atsižvelgiant į tai, kad galiojantis baudžiamasis įstatymas nesudarė galimybės švelninti baudžiamosios atsakomybės asmenims, padariusiems nusikalstamas veikas dėl tam tikrų psichikos sutrikimų, nepanaikinančių pakaltinamumo, tačiau jį apribojančių, bei tuo pačiu siekiant vykdyti humaniškesnę baudžiamąją politiką, teikiant prioritetą žmogaus teisėms, įvestas riboto pakaltinamumo institutas. Moksliniame diskurse pastebima, jog, nepaisant augančio teisiamų asmenų su psichikos sutrikimais skaičiaus, riboto pakaltinamumo institutas taikomas retai, be to, trūksta tyrimų, susijusių su minėto instituto funkcionavimu teismų praktikoje, siekiant efektyvesnio jo taikymo. Atsižvelgiant į medicinos mokslo pažangą, taip pat tikslingas ir tam tikrų būsenų, siejamų su ribotu pakaltinamumu, atitikimo medicininiam suvokimui įvertinimas. Kadangi riboto pakaltinamumo nustatymo praktika kelia abejonių, nėra aiškus jo santykis su nepakaltinamumu bei kitomis būsenomis, esančiomis atskirų nusikalstamos veikos sudėčių dalimi (gimdymo nulemta būsena ir fiziologiniu afektu), tyrimu siekiama atskleisti pačią riboto pakaltinamumo sampratą, identifikuojant ir apibrėžiant jos turinį sudarančius medicininį ir juridinį kriterijus Lietuvos ir užsienio baudžiamuosiuose įstatymuose ir teismų praktikoje bei įvertinti jo santykį su gimdymo nulemta būsena ir fiziologiniu afektu.Since there was no possibility to diminish criminal responsibility of individuals who committed criminal acts because of certain mental disorders which restricted their mental faculties, and since the goal was to enact a more humane criminal policy which would prioritise human rights, the concept of diminished responsibility was introduced. It has been noted, that although statistical data demonstrates that the number of individuals with mental issues is on the rise in Lithuania, diminished responsibility is rarely applied in court practice. Moreover, there is a shortage of comprehensive and systematic examinations of this concept in the scientific literature and the criminal law practice lacks research on the functionality of the concept of diminished responsibility in order to apply it more effectively. Considering the progress of medical science, the review of the consistency between legal and medical perception and assessment of certain conditions associated with diminished responsibility is demanded. Since the law practice of determining diminished responsibility is questionable and the relationship is still unclear between diminished responsibility and other mental states of an individual that have been enshrined in the CCRL as circumstances that mitigate criminal responsibility or as components of privileged murder or health impairment, the research aims to uncover the concept and significance of diminished responsibility theoretically and practically, analysing it in the context of the regulations in the countries that have greater experience of applying diminished responsibility and also revealing the mechanism of this concept’s functionality in the practice of Lithuanian courts

Whether there is a balance between the rights and interests of creditor and debtor when the oblique action is brought in Lithuania?

Lietuvos Respublikos 2000 m. Civiliniame kodekse įtvirtintas netiesioginio ieškinio institutas, pagal kurį kreditorius, turintis neabejotiną ir vykdytiną reikalavimo teisę skolininkui, turi teisę priverstinai įgyvendinti skolininko teises, pareikšdamas ieškinį skolininko vardu, jeigu skolininkas pats šių teisių neįgyvendina arba atsisako tai daryti ir dėl to pažeidžia kreditoriaus interesus. Tai reiškia, kad Lietuvos teisinėje sistemoje yra įtvirtintas visai naujas institutas, kurio taikymas pasižymi tam tikra specifika. Darbe keliama hipotezė, jog Lietuvoje nevisiškai užtikrinama kreditoriaus ir skolininko teisių ir teisėtų interesų pusiausvyra, pareiškus netiesioginį ieškinį. Tyrime atskleidžiami Lietuvoje egzistuojančios netiesioginio ieškinio sampratos privalumai ir trūkumai, o nagrinėjant užsienio valstybių teisinius šaltinius ir teismų praktiką siekiama surasti optimalius netiesioginio ieškinio, kurį pareiškus būtų išlaikyta pusiausvyra tarp kreditoriaus ir skolininko teisių ir teisėtų interesų, reglamentavimo būdus. Tiriant Lietuvos teismų praktiką, išryškėja kreditoriaus ir skolininko procesinės padėties, pareiškus netiesioginį ieškinį, neapibrėžtumas, sąlygojantis šio instituto praktinį neveiksmingumą, dėl to pateikiami galimi problemos sprendimo variantai. Autorius mano, kad netiesioginio ieškinio trūkumai gali būti pašalinti ir būtų galima gauti tikslius atsakymus į daugumą probleminių klausimų, jei Lietuvos Respublikos įstatymuose būtų įtvirtintos netiesioginio ieškinio procesą reglamentuojančios taisyklės arba šio instituto trūkumai pašalinti kryptingai vienoda teismų praktika.Oblique action institute under which a creditor (the obligge) whose right is certain, liquid and eligible may exercise the rights and actions belonging to debtor (the obligor), in the debtor’s name, when the debtor fails to exercise it himself to the prejudice of the creditor. It was embedded in Lithuanian Civil Code in 2000. It is a new law institute with its specific application. Oblique action is not analyzed explicitly, there are not enough scientific literature and court’s practice. Therefore reasonable questions arise, what are the problems that causes inefficiency of oblique action. Is it a regulation of oblique action, lack of information or other reasons? In order to answer these questions and with the aim to understand this law institute foreign countries scientific resources and courts practice are employed. Also under the Lithuanian law the legal status of creditor who brings the oblique action is uncertain. Can the creditor be treated as a plaintiff, or a representative of a debtor? This uncertainty is considered being one of the problems why this law institute does not work. The aim of this paper is to reveal peculiarities of oblique action, which have significant impact on securing the balance between creditors and debtors rights and interests. The object of this work is the institute of oblique action. In order to achieve the aim of this paper and to confirm or deny the hypothesis the following tasks were designed: 1. To discuss the conception, purpose and the essence of action oblique. 2. To explore the alternation of oblique action conception in foreign countries legal systems. 3. To define the conception of oblique action under the Lithuanian and foreign countries law sources. 4. To reveal probable legal status of creditor and debtor, when the oblique action is brought. After the research of law, legal literature, courts practice the hypothesis that the balance between the rights and interests of creditor and debtor are not secured properly was confirmed and the following conclusions and recommendations have been drawn: 1. Under Lithuanian Civil code it is not required that creditor’s right towards the debtor would be confirmed by the court. However in order that the oblique action would be satisfied the following conditions should be proved: creditors claim is certain, liquid and exigible towards his debtor (primary debtor) and the secondary debtor owe a lawful debt to the primary debtor; b) the circumstance, that the debtor fails to exercise his right or neglects to do so; c) such debtor’s inaction infringes the interests of creditor. It should be emphasized that it is not possible to find out anything about debtors solvency or his claims towards other persons without courts order. Therefore it is considered that the satisfaction of oblique action is burdened. Because of this reason it is assumed that it would be the right thing if the law required that the creditor confirmed his claim in the court. In this way the probability that the debtor would challenge creditor’s right will disappear and the oblique action would be satisfied faster. 2. If the oblique action is satisfied, all the recoveries necessary to satisfy the primary creditor’s claim should be returned to the primary debtor’s asset pool and is used to satisfy all the debtor’s creditors. It is considered being as a drawback of oblique action institute, because while the creditor does not have any preference to the property he recovered with his efforts the creditor would be disinterested to use this mean of defense. Therefore in order to reach that the oblique action would function effectively it is suggested to give the preference to the creditor to use the property recovered by the oblique action to satisfy his claims how it is in USA, China and Romania. 3. Uncertain legal status of the creditor and debtor when the oblique action is brought is another drawback of oblique action. It is one more reason, why the balance between creditors and debtors rights and interests is not secured. Therefore in order to reach that the oblique action institute function effectively and with the purpose to keep the balance between the rights and interests of the creditor and debtor, it is suggested that the creditor would have plaintiff’s legal status together with the debtor as an accessory when the oblique action is brought. In such a case it is important to limit creditor’s and debtor’s rights by the law to dispose of the subject of the dispute. It is also proposed that creditor could be kept as the representative of the debtor. This kind of situation is possible only if in Lithuanian Civil code there was a requirement for the creditor to confirm his right towards the debtor in the court how it is done in USA and China. In such a case, when the creditor has the courts judgment he can be the representative of the debtor under the law. 4. Conventional legal relations of representation exist when there is an agreement between the principal and his representative. The creditor who brings the oblique action exercises debtor’s rights without the debtors consent or will. Because of this reason, the creditor can not be the representative of the debtor when the oblique action is brought. 5. It would be wrongly to involve the debtor as a third party without any independent claims when the oblique action is brought, because it is the debtor who is in relation with the third party and the courts judgment will have direct effect to the rights and interests of the debtor not to the creditor. If the debtor was just a third party in oblique action case, his rights would be infringed. 6. Because the creditor who brings the oblique action exercises debtor’s rights in the debtor’s name, the disposition principle is limited. However the creditor can not exercise rights and actions which are strictly personal to the debtor. Oblique action is not the invention of Lithuanian legislator. In one or another form such an action exists in France, Quebec, Louisiana, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Latvia, Philippines, USA and China. It is considered that French conception of oblique action is similar to Lithuanian one, what means that the creditor can exercise debtor’s rights and claims except those which are strictly personal to the debtor. Under the French law the oblique action can be satisfied if the creditor’s right is certain, liquid and eligible, the debtor fails to exercise his right or neglects to do so, and the debtor’s inactiveness infringes creditor’s rights.Vytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Diminished responsibility: a case of Lithuania

Viešosios teisės katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Problems concerning the relationship between diminished responsibility and infanticide

The concept of diminished responsibility was first introduced in Lithuania in 2000 with the enactment of the new Criminal Code. Because it was considered that diminished responsibility could be a constituent of infanticide, the problem arose of the relationship between diminished responsibility (Article 18) and infanticide (Article 131). Taking this into consideration and looking at regulation in foreign countries, the newest scientific research into infanticide and the most relevant case law, the relationship between these areas is revealed. At the same time, the necessity of article 131 is questioned and the cases of applicability of article 18 and article 131 are analyzed. The authors of this study found that “a state resulting after giving birth”, which is a constituent of article 131, is considered to be a state of diminished responsibility. This means that article 131 is a special norm in relation to article 18. The article 131 is applied only in cases when an infant is killed through the effects caused by giving birth to the child and there is no premeditation. When the murder of an infant is premeditated and some evidence is found of the mother being in a state of diminished responsibility, article 129 and article 18 should be applied together.Lietuvos 2000 m. BK įtvirtinus riboto pakaltinamumo institutą, tačiau palikus su juo siejamas specialias normas, tarp jų ir BK 131 str., savaime iškilo BK 18 str. ir BK 131 str. santykio problema. Atsižvelgiant į tai, šiame straipsnyje, pasitelkus užsienio valstybių reglamentavimo pavyzdžius, tyrimus naujagimio nužudymo srityje bei aktualiausią kasacinio teismo praktiką, atskleidžiamas riboto pakaltinamumo ir naujagimio nužudymo normų santykis, svarstomas BK 131 str. reikalingumo klausimas, analizuojami BK 18 ir BK 131 str. taikymo atvejai. Atliktus tyrimą, daroma išvada, kad privalomas naujagimio nužudymo sudėties elementas, gimdymo nulemta būsena, yra vertinamas kaip buvimas ribotai pakaltinamu, dėl ko BK 131 str. yra speciali norma BK 18 str. atžvilgiu. BK 131 str. taikytinas tik tuomet, kai moters psichika susilpnėja dėl gimdymo metu kilusių faktorių. Naujagimio nužudymas, esant nustatytai išankstinei tyčiai nužudyti, bet turint duomenų apie motinos psichikos sutrikimus nusikaltimo metu, kvalifikuojamas taikant bendrą nužudymo normą santykyje su BK 18 str

The issue of diminished responsibility : comparative analysis

Straipsnyje, pasitelkus Jungtinės Karalystės (įskaitant Škotiją), Vokietijos, Prancūzijos ir Rusijos pavyzdžius analizuojama Lietuvoje įtvirtinta riboto pakaltinamumo samprata, jos juridinis ir medicininis kriterijaiWith enactment of the new Criminal Code in the year 2000 the concept of diminished responsibility was introduced into the Criminal law of Lithuania. The reason for the introduction of such a norm was the absence of the possibility to mitigate criminal liability for the persons who made crimes being mentally ill but were not recognized being insane. On global level simultaneously the efforts to implement humane politics protecting the rights of person notwithstanding his status of mind was highlighted. Despite these trends the new norm of diminished responsibility introduced into the Criminal code of the Republic of Lithuania did not solve problems both of theoretical and practical level and raises many doubts till nowadays. (Example, the term "mental disorder" used in defining a medical criterion of diminished responsibility is analogous to the medical criterion of insanity, which causes difficulties in distinguishing these concepts in practice. When the norm of diminished responsibility was introduced into the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania and the previous special norms, whose constituent is the state of diminished responsibility (example, murder in a state of passion, infanticide), were left, the problem regarding the relation between the general and special norms arose.) The newly conducted research revealed that even though the number of mentally ill people is growing, the norm of diminished responsibility is rarely applied in the court practice and there is lack of a systemic approach to that phenomenon from scientific communityViešosios teisės katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

The Role of EU Principles in Criminal Law: is the Principle of Direct Effect Applicable?

With the enactment of the Lisbon Treaty, EU law gained supremacy over national law in ten areas of criminal law (with the possibility of extension in the future) treated as particularly serious crimes with a cross-border dimension and the right to enact directives. The question arises if and when direct effect is possible in criminal law, taking account of developments and applications of this principle in other areas of EU law. To answer this question, the following tasks are necessary: (1) to discuss the role of principles in criminal law, (2) to define the principle of direct effect through the academic literature and the jurisprudence of the CJEU, (3) to discuss whether directives could have direct effect in criminal law, and (4) to analyze the EU’s impact on Lithuanian national criminal law through an analysis of the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of Lithuania

The role of EU principles in criminal law: is the principle of direct effect applicable?

With the enactment of the Lisbon Treaty, EU law gained supremacy over national law in ten areas of criminal law (with the possibility of extension in the future) treated as particularly serious crimes with a cross-border dimension and the right to enact directives. The question arises if and when direct effect is possible in criminal law, taking account of developments and applications of this principle in other areas of EU law. To answer this question, the following tasks are necessary: (1) to discuss the role of principles in criminal law, (2) to define the principle of direct effect through the academic literature and the jurisprudence of the CJEU, (3) to discuss whether directives could have direct effect in criminal law, and (4) to analyze the EU’s impact on Lithuanian national criminal law through an analysis of the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of LithuaniaPrivatinės teisės katedraViešosios teisės katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Lietuvos baudžiamoji teisė : specialioji dalis. Pirmoji knyga : vadovėlis

Recenzentai: prof. dr. A. Abramavičius (VU); prof. dr. J. Prapiestis (VU)Tai bendromis Vytauto Didžiojo ir Mykolo Romerio universitetų mokslininkų pajėgomis parengtas Lietuvos baudžiamosios teisės specialiosios dalies vadovėlis. Pirmajame šio leidinio tome analizuojami Lietuvos Respublikos baudžiamojo kodekso XVII–XXX skyriai. Vadovėlis orientuotas į studentus, pradėjusius studijuoti atskirus baudžiamosios teisės specialiosios dalies skyrius. Vadovėlio autoriai suteikia ne tik teorinių žinių, bet ir pailiustruoja, kaip teisės normos pritaikomos įvairiose praktinėse situacijose. Kiekvienas skyrius pradedamas nuo konkrečių užduočių ir klausimų, tikintis, kad tai padės lengviau suvokti ir įsiminti teorinę medžiagą bei bus puikus instrumentas aktyvioms diskusijoms seminarų metu, įsijaučiant ir į atskirų teisinių profesijų vaidmenis. Kiekvieno skyriaus pabaigoje formuluojami klausimai, kurie padės studentams pasitikrinti, kaip pavyko perprasti svarbiausius konkretaus skyriaus aspektusMykolo Romerio universitetasTeisės fakultetasViešosios teisės katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta