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Ilicit criminal organizations and associations in the spanish criminal code

Authors

  • Patricia Faraldo Cabana Catedrática de Derecho Penal, Universidad de La Coruña

Abstract

The criminal law reform enacted in 2010 added organized and group crimes to the Spanish Criminal Code, while maintaining the illegal association crime intact. The present article aims to delimit the concepts of criminal organization and of illicit association in order to determine whether they are distinguishable or, on the contrary, they overlap each other. The delimitation of the concept of criminal organization is based on international and European regulation and through the examination of the elements of the criminal organization: the hierarchical structure, the interchangeability of its members, its illegal activities and its stability. Likewise, the paper considers the aggravating circumstances related to the organization’s structure, which are included in the regular Spanish legislation: high number of members; possession of weapons or dangerous objects; and use of advanced communication technologies or transportation for the organization.

Keywords:

organized crime, criminal organization, spanish criminal code