ADMINISTRATIVE AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY FOR HOOLIGANISM: PROBLEMS OF DELIMITATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51547/ppp.dp.ua/2025.1.17Keywords:
Hooliganism, administrative liability, criminal liability, offense, criminal offense, administrative offense, public order, social danger, crime qualification, legislative regulation, judicial practice, law enforcement, audacity, extraordinary cynicism, legal certainty, sanctions, Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, Criminal Code of Ukraine, legal liability, differentiation of offensesAbstract
The problem of distinguishing between administrative and criminal liability for hooliganism is one of the most pressing issues in modern law enforcement practice in Ukraine. The absence of clear criteria for differentiating between these types of offenses leads to difficulties in classifying offenses, inconsistency in judicial practice, and, as a result, violations of the principles of legal certainty and fairness. Ukrainian legislation regulates liability for hooliganism in two legal acts: the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses (Article 173) and the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Article 296). The main difference between these offenses lies in the degree of public danger of the act; however, the lack of clear evaluation criteria leads to the possibility of misclassifying acts that are essentially similar. Administrative hooliganism covers less socially dangerous acts, such as the use of obscene language in public places, offensive harassment of citizens, or other actions that disturb public order.Sanctions include a fine or administrative arrest. In contrast, criminal hooliganism is characterized by a gross violation of public order with the use of exceptional audacity or extraordinary cynicism, which significantly complicates its differentiation from administrative offenses. Judicial practice demonstrates cases of inconsistent classification of offenses, which can lead to either excessively severe or unjustifiably lenient punishment.The main problems in law enforcement include the absence of clear criteria for “exceptional audacity” and “extraordinary cynicism,” which are defining elements of criminal hooliganism. The lack of uniform approaches to their interpretation makes it impossible to objectively assess the degree of social danger posed by an offense, which complicates the work of law enforcement agencies and courts. As a result, law enforcement officers often face the problem of incorrect classification of acts, and court decisions may be challenged due to discrepancies between the actual circumstances of the case and legal norms. To improve legal regulation, it is necessary to introduce legislative amendments that will provide clear criteria for distinguishing between administrative and criminal hooliganism. It is recommended to develop methodological guidelines for law enforcement agencies and judges with unified approaches to classifying offenses. Additionally, summarizing judicial practice and implementing a mechanism for monitoring law enforcement would help reduce the number of judicial errors.Thus, improving the legal regulation of hooliganism-related offenses will enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement, strengthen the rule of law, and ensure the principle of legal certainty in matters of offense classification. The proposed measures will help prevent the unjustified application of administrative or criminal liability, positively impacting the level of law and order and fairness within Ukraine's legal system.
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