What distinguishes “criminal law” from all other law? This question should be central to both criminal law theory and criminal justice reform. Clarity about the distinctive feature(s) of criminal law is especially important in the current moment, as the nation awakens to the damage that the carceral state has wrought and reformers debate the value and the future of criminal law institutions. Foundational though it is, however, the question has received limited attention. There is no clear consensus among contemporary scholars or reformers about what makes the criminal law unique. This Essay argues that Antony Duff’s The Realm of Criminal Law offers an answer—and that the answer is correct. Duff rightly diagnoses criminal law as unique by virtue of the fact that it censures particular acts in the polity’s name. It is a mechanism of collective condemnation. The Essay advocates recognition of this concept of criminal law and draws out implications for both criminal law theory and criminal law reform.

中文翻译：

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刑法概念

“刑法”与所有其他法律的区别是什么？这个问题对于刑法理论和刑事司法改革都是至关重要的。当前，清楚了解刑法的独特特征尤为重要，因为该国醒悟了监禁国家所造成的损害，而改革者则在辩论刑法机构的价值和未来。尽管这是最基本的，但是这个问题受到的关注有限。在当代学者或改革者之间，对于什么使刑法具有独特性尚无明确共识。本文认为，安东尼·达夫（Antony Duff）的《刑法领域》提供了答案-答案是正确的。达夫（Duff）谴责刑法是唯一的，因为它谴责以政体的名义进行的特定行为。这是集体谴责的机制。论文提倡承认这一刑法概念，并为刑法理论和刑法改革提供启示。