Deterrence of International Criminal Law and its Impact on Transitional Societies

The international criminal law pursuing different goals, however the goal of deterrence is of major importance. Deterrence due to its connection with the problem of international peace and security is important. It is assumed that international criminal justice can prevent committing more crimes and thus to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security. The aim of this paper is to investigate the deterrent role of international criminal law and evaluate its impact on peace and stability in the transitional societies. The main hypothesis is that the deterrent effect of the international criminal law is less than what is claimed. Given the problems facing the international community in preventing more crimes, reliance on the deterrence of international criminal law and promotion of certainty and severity of punishment are not enough. Other justice mechanisms in the transitional societies for the prevention and reduction of international crime rates should be considered to establish international peace and security .