Criminal Policies, Justice and Fundamental Rights

Code:

C310

Acronym:

PCJDF

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Criminology

Instance: 2025/2026 - 2S (since 09-02-2026 to 22-05-2026)

Active?	Yes
Course/CS Responsible:	Criminology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
C	21	Oficial Study Plan LC 2023	3	-	6	-

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

- Provide students with the basic concepts and frameworks for proper comprehension of political relations between criminal justice and fundamental rights.
- It is intended that students acquire knowledge in the field of essential functions, including the theoretical and dogmatic as well as analysis of the system of fundamental rights in positive law and the Portuguese international system of human rights.
- Introduction to the concept of "fundamental rights" under the theory of the Constitution, which encompass an analysis of Portuguese constitutionalism.
- Understanding the specific dynamics and critical reflection on the major trends in relation to the criminal policies from the point of view of respect or disrespect for fundamental rights. 

Learning outcomes and competences

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. 
   
   Criminal policies and human rights: a strange relationship.
   
   


2. 
   
   Security and rights: freedom vs. security.
   
   


3. 
   
   The transformations in the penal subject.
   
   


4. 
   
   The functions of the penalty and the protection of human rights.
   
   


5. 
   
   The moralisation of criminal law and criminal policies against human rights.
   
   


6. 
   
   The humanization of criminal policies and conflicts with fundamental rights (prevention, pardon, procedural justice).
   
   


7. 
   
   The criminal policy of international treaties: crimes of international transcendence, crimes against humanity, terrorism and human rights.
   
   

Mandatory literature

Alexandrino , José Alberto de Melo; Direitos fundamentais : introdução geral. ISBN: 978-972-8818-89-0
Queiroz Cristina 1957-; Direitos fundamentais. ISBN: 978-972-32-1824-4
Neto Maria Luísa Alves da Silva 1971-; Novos direitos ou novo[s] objecto[s] para o direito?. ISBN: 978-989-8265-28-9
José Carlos Vieira de Andrade; Os^direitos fundamentais na Constituição Portuguesa de 1976. ISBN: 978-972-40-7922-6
Dias Jorge de Figueiredo 1937-; Temas básicos da doutrina penal. ISBN: 972-32-1012-6

Complementary Bibliography

Agra Cândido da 300 1948-; A^criminologia. ISBN: 978-989-8265-88-3
Delmas-Marty Mireille; Les^grands systèmes de politique criminelle. ISBN: 2-13-044628-0
Brandariz García José Ángel; Política criminal de la exclusión. ISBN: 978-84-9836-239-8
Ferrajoli Luigi 1940-; Derecho y razón. ISBN: 978-84-9879-046-7
Zaffaroni Eugenio Raúl; El^enemigo en el derecho penal. ISBN: 978-84-9772-973-4
Bobbio Norberto 1909-2004; L.età dei diritti. ISBN: 88-06-14632-7

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical and practical, combining the description of contents with exercises to apply knowledge transmitted. Emphasis will be, in the latter, work in small groups focusing on analyzing and discussing documents previously prepared by the students.

keywords

Social sciences > Criminology

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	75,00
Trabalho escrito	25,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	26,00
Frequência das aulas	44,00
Trabalho escrito	30,00
Total:	100,00

Eligibility for exams

Type: Continuous assessment with final exam.

Continious assement requires a written work consisting of a reading sheet made by small groups of students from a paper previously chosen among the ones available. The completion of the work is compulsory, being the classification obtained in this component considered in the calculation of the final classification in the normal and appeal examination periods. Approval in continuous assessment is necessary to be admitted to final exam. 

It is permissible to use the mark obtained in the continuous assessment work performed in the two previous academic years. For this purpose, interested students must express their interest by sending an email to the teaching team by the last day of the academic term (May 22, 2026).

Evaluation formula: Rating distributed: work and presentation of readings 25 %, final exam: 75%.

Calculation formula of final grade

Continuous assessment: reading sheet: 25%; final exam: 75%