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Towards a Legal Europe: What the U.S.A. Can Teach Us (Naar een Strafrechtelijk Europa: De U.S.A. als Leermodel)

NCJ Number
189820
Journal
Justitiele verkenningen Volume: 27 Issue: 2 Dated: 2001 Pages: 112-122
Author(s)
A. Slotboom
Date Published
2001
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article examines the experience of the United States in operating 50 State legal systems and the Federal legal system, with emphasis on lessons Europeans could learn through a comparison with the United States as Europe evolves from having dissimilar legal systems toward more similar approaches toward criminal law.
Abstract
The creation of an economic and monetarian Europe has preceded the trend toward the creation of a Europe with a common legal system. The final outcome of this process is unclear. However, features of the European situation and its regional, national, and international judicial entities has features comparable with the situation in the United States. Central aspects of the United States model include the model penal code, legislative roles, jurisdictional issues, and the organization of the police. The analysis notes similarities with the European legal framework and considers the possible establishment, tasks, and competencies of international institutions regarding the European criminal law system. 5 references (Publisher summary modified)