Abstract

The term “sanction”, originating in Roman legal language, denotes, on the one hand, the enactment of a law, and, on the other hand, an unfavorable legal consequence in case of a violation of a law. Central to the law of sanctions is the criminal penalty, intended to enforce the observance of a society’s elementary norms of behavior. The term is of use for the social sciences particularly regarding the functional analysis of societal structures and applies to measures against deviating behavior. With regard to the term, international legal policy is notably influenced by the central idea of security. The means to attain security are changing in almost all areas of society from reaction to prevention. In the wake of globalization, an increase in legal comparisons of the study of sanctions and transnational criminal prosecution is to be expected. This is exemplified by the establishment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.