Introduction to Criminal Proceedings in EU Member States

Author: Wang Jiancheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-03-01
Features: Although the member states of the European Union can be seen as a geographical concept, as it is primarily composed of Western European countries, it is more a political concept, as it is based on the conclusion and participation in the Treaty on European Union. The criminal justice systems of the 13 EU member states introduced in this book reflect the various schools of thought in the world's criminal justice systems. There are representatives of the common law system, such as England and Wales, and representatives of the civil law system, such as Germany and France. There are countries with relatively radical reforms, such as Italy, as well as countries that are relatively conservative, such as Belgium and Luxembourg. Some countries implement a mixed jury system, while others have a jury system or do not have a jury system at all. Some countries combine prosecution and judicial functions, while others separate them. Some countries adopt the state monopoly of prosecution, while others primarily rely on private prosecution with some public prosecution, and some implement a mixed prosecution system. Some countries follow the principle of statutory prosecution, while others follow the principle of discretionary prosecution. Some countries adopt evidence exclusion rules, while others do not. Some countries implement a preliminary hearing system, while others follow a three-tiered appellate system, and so on.