Abstract The study refers to the legal interest protected by the legislation on money laundering, an issue of considerable theoretical and jurisprudential concern since the introduction of this crime into modern criminal law. First, the study evaluates the various approaches to the legal interest under consideration, while highlighting the change in the legislator’s attitude from the ΄80s to the present day. This change is then employed to examine whether, over time, a new social interest has been legally recognised and protected through criminal law, which is specifically identified in the “purity” of the property integrating into the legal economy.

Abstract The author of the article conducted a comparative analysis of legislative approaches and practical mechanisms of compensation, focusing on the benefits of humanizing the criminal justice system. The article identifies the key elements that can be borrowed from the experience of the countries under consideration. The European experience shows that the integration of restorative justice can provide more accessible and transparent mechanisms for compensation for material and non-pecuniary damage. In addition, the author proposes specific steps for their adaptation and emphasizes the importance of relevant initiatives for the law of Kazakhstan. The conclusions emphasize the importance of integrating European experience to improve the national system of compensation for victims of crime in Kazakhstan.

Abstract In the context of historically low levels of public trust in policing in England and Wales, this paper considers the contribution of arts-led modes of police-community engagement as part of a broader project of change for the police. A processual perspective on policing suggests that it is how the police enact their role, more than substantive outcomes, which influences public perceptions of the police. In this context, Procedural Justice Theory, with its focus on officers upholding the principles of respect, voice, trustworthiness, and neutrality during encounters with the public, carries possibilities for trust-building. In this paper, we find value in reading arts-based encounters through a procedural justice lens; however, where our work deviates from traditional procedural justice literature is in its focus on police-community engagement in a non -enforcement space; its qualitative approach; and its prioritisation of attitudinal change on the part of officers rather than the public. Ultimately, we argue that engagement through the arts can offer opportunities for ‘teachable moments’ for police officers, and could support small but meaningful change in a broader process of (re)building and re-imagining relationships between police and policed.

Abstract This article explores the legal and normative legitimacy of an EU-wide qualified crime of ecocide in the renewed Environmental Crime Directive (2024 ECD). Such a crime is premised on developments on both international as well as EU Member State level. It however appears that these developments are in a rather embryonic stage and that existing ecocide definitions in EU Member States show varying disparities .The 2024 ECD displays a contrived understanding of EU-wide ecocide as a qualified environmental offence. Nonetheless, in combination with its relatively autonomous nature, its criminalisation at EU level can still be considered groundbreaking, as it postulates the environment as a protected interest in the criminal law of EU Member States. This article argues that EU-wide ecocide enters the supranational realm under the guise of effectivity, although it is symbolism that reigns supreme. In addition, it conflicts with several normative principles. EU-wide ecocide is thus shaking on its legal and normative foundations. This has fundamental implications for the implementation of ecocide in the criminal law of EU Member States.

Abstract This paper critically examines the provisions on the management of frozen and confiscated assets, as well as the role and functioning of Asset Management Offices (AMOs), set out in Directive 2024/1260 of the European Union. The paper examines how Directive 2024/1260 reshapes the management of frozen and confiscated assets in the EU, and to what extent it strengthens the operationalisation of the ‘crime does not pay’ principle. The new Directive significantly expands the roles and powers of AMOs, reflecting their importance in the EU’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) framework. The paper explores the objectives, responsibilities, powers, and guiding principles governing AMOs. It concludes that Directive 2024/1260 strengthens the institutional framework for AMOs, but future success will depend on how effectively Member States and EU institutions translate legislative ambition into operational reality, particularly through sustained investment in capacity-building, stronger oversight of national practices, and deeper cross-border collaboration.

Abstract Paper examines phenomena of “legislative inflation” and “overcriminalization” – the increasing number of statutory legislation introducing imprisonment sanction – in contemporary Poland. The research involved three steps. First involved “mapping” of the legal provisions establishing crimes with imprisonment sanctions in pieces of statutory legislation (“laws”) other than “Penal Codes” (so called “extra-code crimes”). To this end computer assisted approach was employed to the “stock of law” (all “laws” in force at a given time) as of 1 January 2005 (N=784) and 1 January 2015 (N=1139). Provisions introducing crimes with imprisonment sanction were identified in 90 (2005) and 111 (2015) laws. Of them, 19 brand-new laws establishing “new crimes” with imprisonment sanction were legislated during 2005–2014 period. Second examined the policy formulation and law-making processes behind the identified legislative changes. Third stage adopted “law in action” perspective, examining whether crimes established in over one hundred identified laws affected the prison population.

Abstract The European Arrest Warrant is a transnational policing tool. It facilitates the transfer of law enforcement power from the requesting state, across national boundaries, to co-opt the criminal justice agencies of the executing state. The warrant is given effect by police in the executing state through the application of coercive force. Based on empirical data collected between 2016 and 2017 this paper explores the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) from the perspective of the police agencies involved in its operation. It describes the pivotal role that law enforcement agencies play in Europe’s system of surrender, arguing that the EAW (and its post-Brexit successor) is a mechanism for the mutual recognition of the use of force, the defining feature of the police.

Abstract In G.I.E.M. S.r.l. and Others. v. Italy (2018), a Grand Chamber majority of the European Court of Human Rights firmly established that the grounds for punishment and the wording of ECHR Article 7 stipulate a ‘mental link’ for punishment to be imposed. The statement has been reaffirmed in later case law, but its meaning is unclear. Various interpretations abound in practice and in academic writing, including that the requirement makes new inroads into States’ autonomy in the field of substantive criminal law. The nexus between ECHR Article 7 and Article 49 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights means that the discussion also is relevant for EU law. The authors analyse the concept considering ECHR Article 7’s text, object and purpose, the Strasbourg Court’s overall methodology, and the complex of Italian cases from which ‘mental link’ sprang as well as case law subsequently making use of it. The authors argue that the requirement means that a person subject to criminal prosecution must have procedural opportunity to free themselves from punishment in cases of avoidable and excusable error of law. Alternative readings, including that it negates strict liability or requires mental capacity as a condition for punishment, are discarded. The ‘mental link’ case law therefore seems not to suggest that EU law, through the CFR, imposes new constraints on Member States’ freedom to define what constitutes criminal behaviour within their jurisdictions. It rather highlights one of several aspects of the principle of guilt, a cornerstone of the European legal tradition.

Abstract This paper examines the implications of cyberspace on criminal investigations, particularly regarding corruption involving politically exposed persons ( pep s). It explores the growing significance of open-source intelligence and the roles of civilian actors, non-governmental organisations ( ngo s) and investigative journalists in achieving criminal justice purposes. The study points out the lack of a regulatory framework for civilian osint within the European legal environment: the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and the EU e-evidence package. The authors argue that this evolving landscape necessitates the reevaluation of classic criminal investigations, advocating for public-private partnerships and outsourcing investigative tasks to meet the challenges and opportunities arising from the openness of cyberspace and exploit the potential of e-evidence.

Abstract The courts as communities framework is built on the idea of community aspects in courts leading to regional sentencing disparities. Correspondingly, numerous studies have found between-court variation in sentencing but its backgrounds have remained largely unknown due to limited sentencing data. The aim of the current study is to address court communities and local sentencing norms in the under-researched continental European context. Interviews with 14 Finnish district judges were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed local elements in the application of case law: judges often follow local legal practice and discuss legal practice in their court communities with colleagues. The local application of case law can indeed create risks of differences in sentencing between courts, although, correspondingly, interaction between judges regarding case law can also unify the application of the law. It is suggested that more national-level interaction for judges could be provided.