This book explores the issue of legitimate criminalization in a modern, liberal society. It argues that criminalization should be limited by normative principles, defining the substance of what can be legitimately proscribed. Coverage provides a comparative study between two major criminal legal systems and its theories: the Anglo-American, on one side, and the Continental criminal legal system of Germanic legal circle, on the other.

Criminalisation.- Grounds for (Principles of) Criminalisation.- Harm Principle - A Comparative Analysis.- Continental Counterparts to the Anglo-American Concept of the Harm Principle.- Conclusion - Final Evaluation.- Some Criminological Afterthoughts.