I describe how our understanding of some of the central principles long held dear by most (but certainly not all) criminal theorists may have to be interpreted (or re-interpreted) in light of the need to devise lenient responses (that may or may not amount to punishments) for low-level offenders. Several of the most plausible suggestions for how to deal with minor infractions force us to take seriously some ideas that many legal philosophers have tended to resist elsewhere. I briefly touch upon four topics: (1) whether informal (that is, non-state responses) can substitute for or count against the appropriate state sanction; (2) the significance of repeat offending for sentencing; (3) whether punishment for culpable public wrongdoing has intrinsic value; and (4) the scope of police powers in a liberal democratic state. The context for this discussion is R. A. Duff’s insightful examination of whether and under what conditions we should criminalize a public wrong or respond to it in some other manner.

中文翻译：

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边际刑法

我描述了我们对于大多数（但不是全部）犯罪理论家长期以来所珍视的一些中心原则的理解，可能会因需要做出宽大的回应（可能会也可能不会）而被解释（或重新解释）。相当于轻罪）。关于如何处理小规模违规行为的一些最合理的建议迫使我们认真对待许多法律哲学家倾向于在其他地方抵制的一些想法。我简要地谈谈四个主题：（1）非正式（即非国家的回应）是否可以替代或反对适当的国家制裁；（2）重犯对判刑的重要性；（三）对有罪的公共不法行为的处罚是否具有内在价值；（4）自由民主国家的警察权力范围。