NCJ Number
130460
Editor(s)
G O W Mueller
Date Published
1970
Length
56 pages
Annotation
After an introduction that outlines the history, organization, and contents of Greenland's Criminal Code, this book presents an English translation of the code.
Abstract
Greenland's 1954 Criminal Code contains two parts, one dealing with crimes and the other with the legal consequences of crimes. The part on crimes contains sections that address the scope of application of the code; self-defense and necessity; negligence, attempt, and conspiracy; minimum age; and definitions of the crimes. The part dealing with the legal consequences of crimes contains sections that cover prosecution, the selection and duration of sanctions, sanctions, presentence reports, and other provisions. The Greenland Criminal Code is unique in its creation of a system of sanctions that are tailored to the rehabilitation needs of the offender and the protection of society rather than to the gravity of the offense. This approach is due largely to the sociology of Greenland; small, compact communities in which everyone is known to everyone else. Each offender is thus viewed as an individual rather than as a symbol of his crime. Guilt is determined by procedures reflective of Danish law, but the determination of sanctions involves an all-inclusive assessment of the offender's personal and social circumstances at the time of the conviction. Confinement is a rarely used sanction except in cases of obvious dangerousness to the community.