Subjectivity, Punishment, and Otherness: An Ethical Reinterpretation of Criminal Law Through Crime and Punishment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5294/dika.2026.35.1.1Keywords:
Criminal law, restorative justice, legal hermeneutics, legal narrative, Dostoevsky, ethics of recognitionAbstract
In a global context marked by the erosion of institutional legitimacy and the persistence of structural forms of exclusion, modern criminal law faces growing challenges regarding its ability to ethically address the moral complexity of individuals. This article proposes a critical reevaluation of the contemporary penal paradigm through a hermeneutic, ethical, and narrative interpretation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, positioning Raskolnikov as an emblematic figure of a subjectivity in crisis that challenges the normative foundations of punishment. The study reveals that the protagonist's inner conflict and transformation are not the result of institutional sanction but rather emerge from the narrative process of recognition and otherness embodied in Sonia's character. These findings highlight the limitations of the traditional retributive model and open the possibility of conceiving justice as a restorative process grounded in dialogue, intersubjectivity, and the ethical reconstruction of the offender. Consequently, the article argues for the urgent need to reformulate criminal law based on a logic that prioritizes shared narratives, the recognition of others, and attentiveness to suffering, moving beyond punitive logic in favor of a humanizing and transformative justice.
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