Criminal Law in Greece

This volume should provide a useful background for the study and practice of criminal law and criminal procedure in Greece. The general introduction offers a brief survey of Greece, its administrative and judicial institutions, and its system of criminal justice. Part I concerns substantive criminal law as understood in Greece, explaining the relevant principles of penalization and proportionality, the applicability of criminal statutes, the grounds for justification of criminal offences, defences that diminish or excuse criminal responsibility or liability, the classification of criminal offences, and the sanctions system, including the rules of sentencing. Part II relates to criminal procedure. It describes the judicial organization, the investigation of crime, the pre-trial proceedings, the powers and duties of investigators and prosecutors, the rights of defendants, the rules of evidence, the trial stage, and remedies and appeals. Part III covers sanctions, including an overview of the sources of penitentiary law, the general principles concerning the execution of sentences and orders, the prison system, prisoners' rights, and the various forms of extinction of sanctions.