Abstract

Pardon is one of the manners of extinguishing penalties, respectively the creation of legal situations which impede the criminal prosecution as well as imposing and application of punishments against the perpetrators of criminal offences. It represents an act issued by the President (so is in Kosovo), respectively the Government. In fact, by means of pardon specifically designated persons listed by name are granted exemption from complete or partial exemption from the execution of a punishment, the substitution of punishment with a less severe punishment or a suspended sentence or the expunging of punishment. Pardon is an old institution of criminal law. It is known in Roman Law and Middle Ages Law. Also contemporary criminal laws recognize pardon as a criminal-law tool which precludes imposing the punishment, or the imposed punishment is pardoned as whole or partially. In Kosovo the pardon issue has been regulated by Law on Pardon entered into force in 2008. Pardon manifests a range of characteristics and its existence and granting is determined by special reasons. For granting pardon is conducted a special procedure. Such procedure shall be initiated according to official duty (ex-officio) and by the initiative of the convicted person or his family members. The pardon shall be granted for all criminal offences despite of their gravity, excluding criminal offences against the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo and criminal offences against humanity and values protected by international law. In this short scientific paper is dealt with the meaning, characteristics, importance and the procedure of pardon implementation as well as some of the basic issues of theory-practice nature referring to this criminal-law institution. By preparing this article I have used historical-legal, comparative, dogmatic, statistical methods etc. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s5p172

Highlights

  • Pardon of punishments represents an institution of criminal law through which penalties are extinguished

  • This institution is the instrument of the President through which designated persons listed by name are granted exemption from complete or partial exemption from the execution of a punishment, the substitution of punishment with a less severe punishment or a suspended sentence or the expunging of punishment

  • “Pardon is issued in the form of a decision by which designated persons listed by name are granted exemption from complete or partial exemption from the execution of a punishment, the substitution of punishment with a less severe punishment or a suspended sentence or the expunging of punishment. ”1 In accordance with the article 3, paragraph 3 of the Law on Pardon a pardon relieves the convicted person from protective measures, fines and any other punishments included in the sentence imposed by the court. 2

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Summary

Introduction

Pardon of punishments represents an institution of criminal law through which penalties are extinguished. This institution is the instrument of the President through which designated persons listed by name are granted exemption from complete or partial exemption from the execution of a punishment, the substitution of punishment with a less severe punishment or a suspended sentence or the expunging of punishment. For granting pardon is conducted a special procedure. It precedes the submission of applications for pardon, and it continues by its reviewing from respective commission which prepares a report with concrete proposals for each application and sends it to the President as the sole authority to make decisions. During the decision-making process concerning pardon were indicated cases of granting pardon for criminal offences for which the legislator had forbidden granting pardon such as those concerning trafficking in persons, cases of granting pardon for very severe criminal offences and contrary with the pardon's goals, such are cases of murders from blood feud as well cases for granting pardon for applications for which the commission on pardon had recommended its refusal

The Meaning of Pardon
Some of the Principles in which is Based the Pardon
The principle of reward
The principle of rehabilitation
The principle of universality
The principle of personal effectiveness
The principle of ignoring financial compensation
The Characteristics of Pardon
Criteria for Granting Pardon
The gravity of crime
The risk of recidivism
The sincere repentance
The appearance of behavior and respected character
The influence of pardon to the injured persons
The time spent in serving the sentence
Fulfilling the requirements of the Correctional Service
Humanitarian specific reasons for pardon
Procedure for Pardon
The submission for application
Reviewing the application
Decision-making regarding the application
Conclusion
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