The Criminal Justice System of the Netherlands offers an introduction to our fascinating legal system from a criminal law angle. The book consists of four parts. Part I covers general matters, such as the organization of the Dutch criminal justice system and the latest statistics on crime and punishment. Part II presents the basics of Dutch substantive criminal law and Part III discusses our criminal procedure. Lastly, Part IV focusses on the final stage of the criminal process: sanctions and their enforcement. Throughout the book, authors highlight aspects of the criminal justice system of the Netherlands that would be of specific interest to foreigners. These peculiarities include, for example, the many powers of the Dutch public prosecutor, the Dutch position on euthanasia and our (in)famous drug policy. The book contains several references to case law, websites and more detailed texts (in English where possible) in order to support readers who desire a more thorough understanding of a specific topic. The Criminal Justice System of the Netherlands is recommended to students taking an introductory course on Dutch criminal law or on comparative criminal law. It is, however, also an excellent starting point for foreign researchers who wish to explore the Dutch criminal law system.

Through the establishment of EU criminal law, EU actors have come to influence the definition and interpretation of domestic crimes and penalties. Both the EU legislature and the CJEU define and interpret provisions of EU law with relevance for the determination of criminal liability and the prescription of applicable penalties in the law of the Member States.This influence on substantive criminal law raises questions about the limits to these legislative and interpretive activities, both at the EU level and at the level of the Member States. Since requirements for the definition, interpretation, and application of substantive criminal law are traditionally provided by the principle nullum crimen, nulla poena sine lege (ie the legality principle), the functioning of this principle in EU criminal law merits investigation.To understand the role and functioning of the legality principle in EU criminal law, the author examines and compares the actual constructions of the supranational European legality principles; ie the legality principles protected under the ECHR and by EU law.He ascertains that, while under the ECHR, the legality principle only requires the protection of a rather minimal standard of legal certainty, such a minimum standard might not be appropriate under EU law.The multilevel nature of the definition and interpretation of offences and penalties in EU criminal law, the influence of multilingualism, and the general EU standard of legal certainty provided outside the criminal sphere, make it appropriate that the EU's legality principle goes beyond the minimum ECHR standard.The author argues that, instead of merely functioning as a prohibition on arbitrariness, the EU legality principle should ensure a level of legal certainty, which is closer to the maximum predictability of the consequences of certain acts. Furthermore, it should be construed more consistently and on the basis of a clear conceptual framework, while its general conformity with the ECHR minimum standard should be made more apparent.