https://legal.excellentwiki.com/brazil/criminal-law/Recent content in Criminal Law on ExcellentWiki - Legal EncyclopediaHugoen-USTue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://legal.excellentwiki.com/brazil/criminal-law/brazil-criminal-law/Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://legal.excellentwiki.com/brazil/criminal-law/brazil-criminal-law/<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2> <p><strong>Criminal law</strong> in Brazil (<em>Direito Penal</em>) is codified primarily in the <strong>Penal Code of 1940</strong> (Decree-Law 2.848/1940) and supplemented by numerous special criminal laws. The 1988 Federal Constitution establishes fundamental criminal law principles, including <strong>legality</strong> (<em>legalidade</em>), <strong>non-retroactivity of unfavorable law</strong>, and <strong>human dignity</strong>. Brazil&rsquo;s criminal law system follows the civil law tradition with a written, inquisitorial heritage that has been progressively reformed to incorporate adversarial elements and human rights protections.</p>