Crime and Punishment inPortugal

Abstract

This entry aims to provide an approach to the reforms introduced in criminal law in recent years in Portugal and to the results achieved by these reforms in terms of diminishing the sense of insecurity felt by the Portuguese, as expressed in official statistics and victimization studies. Some of the main available materials concerning criminal law and public order tend to emphasize this feeling of insecurity, particularly about violent crimes; yet Portugal is regarded as the ninth safest country in the world and the second in Europe as far as prevalence of crime is concerned. This entry aims to make a modest contribution to the understanding of some of the ideas and goals underlying the reforms in criminal policies designed and followed by Portuguese authorities.