Legisprudential Evaluation of Ethiopian Criminal Law-Making

Abstract

The state adopts criminal rules and punishment in order to achieve various state ends. There is very little agreement regarding the content of ‘good criminal law’. However, there is a general agreement regarding ‘good’ criminal lawmaking process. This article argues that the lawmaking process may be used to evaluate the legitimacy of the criminalisation process. Thus, it discusses pre-legislation, legislation and post-legislation phase duties of the legislature and finds that these processes were not complied with in various Ethiopian laws that contain penal provisions.