The article provides a critical analysis of the linguistic expression “principle of economy of criminal repression”, which has long been employed in legal scholarship. This formulation traditionally serves to explain certain state activities, usually characterized in a positive aspect.

However, such an understanding of this expression is incorrect, as it fails to create the necessary semantic unity. Practical arguments are presented in support of the author’s position, including the legislative definition of the concept of “repression”, which is imbued with negative content.

It is argued that linking economy with repression constitutes a clear categorical error. More importantly, there are no grounds for distinguishing such a principle within criminal law. In this regard, attention is drawn to the scholarly contributions of proceduralists, who study not the “economy of repression” (which is entirely correct), but rather the principle of procedural economy.

Significant attention is also devoted to the principle of proportionality in law, which has universal significance and is therefore reflected in many domestic branches of legislation. The practice of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and the Supreme Court, which actively employ this principle, is cited.

The purpose of the study is defined as conceptualizing the understanding of the empirical approach of “criminal-law economy” to solving relevant problems in legislative and law-enforcement activity, and substantiating the necessity of its introduction.

The effectiveness of applying the proposed approach is directly linked to the proper selection of methodological tools that allow reliable orientation in social realities. According to the author, its application should rely, inter alia, on such research methods as legal pragmatism and the rule of law.

The content of these methods is disclosed.

It is emphasized that criminal legislation is generally punitive in nature. However, this fact is not decisive in a rule-of-law state, since both the legislator and legal practice adhere to a balance of public and private interests. The main issue concerns reasonable limits on the use of criminal-law measures. The implementation of this task is grounded in criminal-law economy – an empirically based, socially conditioned approach in legislative and law-enforcement activity to resolving relevant problems in criminal law through the realization of a set of principles, including legality, legal certainty, proportionality, ultima ratio, and humanism.

The updated approach concerns not only punishment. It extends to the formation of any institutions (individual norms) of both the General and Special Parts of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This approach encompasses a wide range of legal realities embodied in legislative and law-enforcement activity, including criminalization/decriminalization of acts, penalization/ depenalization of criminal offenses, release from criminal liability, release from punishment, and exemption from serving a sentence. Prospects for further research into the problem are outlined.

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