About

The LGCL database (Literature on German Criminal Law) is provided and curated by the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law. Its purpose is to make English-language academic literature on German criminal law more visible to the international community of scholars and students of criminal law.

German criminal law is interpreted broadly here to include German criminal law theory, substantive criminal law, criminal procedure, criminal justice practice, and the law of corrections. Contributions – such as those with a comparative law bent – that focus primarily on other issues and/or jurisdictions but that contain a substantial discussion of German criminal law (more than just a few sentences) are also welcome as is criminological literature that addresses the situation in Germany. In addition, the database encompasses English-language translations of relevant German case law and legislation.

Publications not suitable for the database include those that deal solely with other national legal systems, European law, or international criminal law. Contributions of an empirical, theoretical, or philosophical nature that have no concrete connection to criminal law, controversies, or practice in Germany are also unsuitable.

Accessible to all free of charge at lgcl.csl.mpg.de, the database, which is searchable by keyword, title, and author, provides bibliographic information for all entries. Full texts of documents are provided to the extent permissible by law.

While we make no claim as to the completeness of the database, our goal is to supplement and update it on a regular basis. To this end, tips from users regarding both missing and new publications are invaluable. Please click here (https://lgcl.csl.mpg.de/suggest/) to send us information on English-language publications that deal with German criminal law.