The tension between formality and informality is intrinsic to the implementation of criminal law. Criminal procedures in fact always happen on a continuum between formality and informality, where the different actors involved (police officers and other street-level bureaucrats, prosecutors, judges, experts, defense lawyers, etc.) continuously perform and negotiate (in)formality. This special issue explores these “politics of (in)formality” in different criminal law settings and from different disciplinary perspectives. The different empirical contributions explore the continuum between formality and informality as well as practices of informalization in two different levels of the criminal justice system: police investigations and court proceedings.

正式与非正式之间的紧张关系是刑法实施所固有的。事实上，刑事诉讼总是在正式与非正式之间连续进行，其中涉及的不同行为者（警察和其他街头官僚、检察官、法官、专家、辩护律师等）不断地在正式（非正式）中进行表演和谈判。本期特刊从不同的刑法背景和不同的学科角度探讨了这些“（不）形式政治”。不同的实证贡献探讨了正式与非正式之间的连续性，以及刑事司法系统两个不同层面的非正式化实践：警察调查和法庭诉讼。