You can recognize me by my words. Articles and topics on criminal law in 2025
Unlike the sensationalist headline from2020and those inspired by books in2021and2023or by music in2024, this year’s quote is reproduced verbatim and comes from my son, who, upon watching a video of himself when he was just over two years old, came up with this line, which I find very fitting for what we say and write in the legal world.
Paradoxically, perhaps, given the public uproar over various criminal law issues, fewer articles on criminal law were published in legal journals in 2025. However, much was written on social media or on non-specialized platforms; interviews were given, and TV shows and podcasts were produced. But the writing and discussion also took place in a language more accessible to those without legal training—an endeavor Ihave long set out to do myself, and which I managed to carry out this year through Facebook posts on current topics (femicide, fetal injury, precautionary measures, statute of limitations, etc.), some of which were also published on JURIDICE.ro. I believe in this legal education that we owe to the general public; I believe that many aspects of justice are misunderstood by society because we do not explain them, but instead remain within a specialized language, among ourselves, sometimes exclusively in legal journals. Unfortunately, the media also contributes significantly to the division we’ve been feeling lately, often choosing to present only one perspective or part of the issue, leaving the truth hidden somewhere, impossible to discern later just from specialized articles or from the discussions we still have “face-to-face.” There’s only so much we can do aslawyers,but I’m glad that many of my colleagues have started to be more visible in the public sphere—I think we need that. More than that, our students need explanations about what’s happening around them—more than once, especially this semester, I’ve noticed that the information reaching them is distorted by the many filters it passes through.
Since it would be impossible to analyze all the interesting posts and opinions, I have chosen to present below what I read and enjoyed from the articles published in specialized journals over the past year, written by other authors[1]. I have considered the materials on criminal law published in the Annals of the University of Bucharest – Law Series, AUBD – Legal Forum (both journals withtheir new websiteslaunched at the end of 2025), Studia UBB Iurisprudenția, Criminal Law Notebooks, Annals of the West University of Timișoara, Scientific Annals of “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași – Legal Sciences Series, Dreptul Journal, Curierul Judiciar, Pandectele Române, Family Law Journal, Themis Journal, Romanian Journal of Business Criminal Law, Pro Lege Journal, Cluj Bar Association Journal, Universul Juridic Journal, Journal of Legal Notes and Studies (hosted by JURIDICE.ro), and several anthologies; and once again, I thank everyone who helped me access articles from works that are not published underopen access orthat are not (yet) available in international databases. I have also read and saved the ones on criminal procedure (just as numerous as those on criminal law), but I prefer to leave it to my colleagues specializing in criminal procedure to recommend them.
As usual, I have selected thought-provoking articles that are well-researched and go beyond the standard analysis of the crime’s structure, or that explore a topic far too broad to be covered in a single article. Not to mention materials containing factual errors, despite any criticism they may receive, I chose not to include articles that do not cite legal doctrine at all (yes, such articles exist, even though doctrine would be relevant to those issues), that limit themselves to 1–2 books, or that ignore the main works on the subject at hand. A piece on discernment and consent in the case of the crime of rape should cite, at least as a counterargument,the workof Mr. Cristian Ioan, which is the first comprehensive analysis in this field within criminal doctrine; anyone writing about the causal link must first consult Ms. Ioana Curt’swork; in the future, no analysis of the concurrence of qualifications will be able to ignore Mr. Ionuț Borlan’s doctoral dissertation, currently in the process of being published, etc.
As always, the selected works come from both established authors and young researchers, some of whom are just starting out, because I believe in the research conducted by undergraduates, master’s students, and doctoral candidates, as well as in the in-depth exploration characteristic of their age and the enthusiasm of their early careers. That is why, in recent years, I have preferred to write extensively with younger colleagues, and very soon (an exclusive announcement)Hamangiu Publishingwill release a volume featuring the work of master’s students whose dissertations I have supervised over the past seven years, many of whom have since become doctoral students and, subsequently, university faculty members.
In 2025, the book also addressed topics that have been covered extensively in recent years: crimes against sexual freedom and integrity (I), tax evasion and money laundering(II), and cybercrimes (III). However, there are also new topics, less frequently addressed in previous legal scholarship, generally driven by legislative changes in these areas: the crime of escape (IV), issues related to the use of psychoactive substances (V), and, of course, domestic violence and femicide (VI). Other offenses are presented in a few individual articles (VII), and certain aspects of general criminal law (VIII) are also addressed. Unfortunately, I would say, almost nothing is written about many of the problems faced especially by judges in the early years of their careers, related, for example, to crimes of theft, robbery, offenses against traffic safety on public roads, disturbance of public order and peace, offenses provided for in special laws (for example, in the field of construction), and many others.
Full article: https://www.juridice.ro/essentials/10929/poti-sa-ma-recunosti-dupa-vorbele-mele-articole-si-teme-de-drept-penal-in-2025