THE LIMITS OF CRIMINAL LAW

This paper describes the research program implemented by the current director of the maxplanck-institute for foreign and international penal law, which has its focus directed to the current challenges posed to penal law by contemporary social, economic and political changes. this program has three goals: (i) to analyze the real alterations to security risks and the ideas regarding security in a society branded by globalization and technical, economic and political changes; (ii) to analyze and critically evaluate the legal changes that accompany said changes and their causes; (iii) the development of new answers to the challenges posed to law enforcement policies. in this context, the following aspects are highlighted: international organized criminality, terrorism and crimes committed over the internet.