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Description
The project addresses the need of developing a new penal policy that can underlie the new Penal Code expected in the upcoming years. The existing Penal Code has been in force since 1968 having a number of characteristics of the Socialist period. The Code has been repeatedly amended since the changes in 1990 without any clear vision of the goals and meaning of the penal policy. The amendments have been made in a piecemeal, reactive and political manner. The latter manner has led to two negative results.
First, the Penal Code is eclectic and piled with texts. Second, it has been developed in an unacceptable repressive manner as if the rights and the Code exist in different worlds. The second outcome is the issue addressed by the project. Repression has grown by imposing more severe punishments (the single penalty, the years served in prison) and by obstinately keeping absurd elements of a crime from an age gone (e.g. Article 329: “income acquired in an amoral manner").
The project is focused on the risks from growing repressive manner of the criminal justice system. Given the established inertia, most probably the trends towards “more severe penalties” will be kept in the future Penal Code. The excessively active Chief Prosecutor’s Office offering in any possible manner more severe criminal penalties has also been a factor. The 2020 pandemic escalated the willingness of the executive power to insist on “greater punishment” and precluded the citizens from resisting it.
The main project goal is to influence the development of a new criminal justice policy, followed by a new Penal Code, by holding a campaign for a modern, enlightened attitude to punishments. The policy the project advocates for points out the risks of excessive repression in the criminal justice system.
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Summary of project results
The main goal of the project was to drive a decisive reform in security policies and enhance the capacity of relevant institutions by introducing a modern approach to risk assessment and preventive action.
The project focused on upgrading institutional frameworks, improving predictive capabilities, and fostering a proactive security culture to better respond to emerging threats and ensure greater public safety.
The initiative was designed to foster a more enlightened, rational, and effective approach to addressing risk factors in security policies. By shifting the focus from reactive and repressive measures to a preventive and proactive approach, the project aimed to promote the humanization and socialization of security policies.
To achieve its objectives, the project implemented a diverse range of activities, including:
- Monitoring and analysis of current national security policies to identify gaps and areas for improvement.
- Development and advocacy for a modern analytical framework for risk assessment and management in the security sector.
- Formulation of a comprehensive and contemporary security concept, integrating preventive strategies and soft approaches.
- Organizing discussions and training modules to build the capacity of security professionals and stakeholders in adopting modern risk-based methodologies.
Through these efforts, the project contributed to a strategic shift in security policies, ensuring they are more adaptive, preventive, and aligned with human rights principles.
The sustainability of the project is inherently ensured by the nature of its activities and the long-term applicability of its key outputs.
- The risk assessment matrix and the National Security Strategy introduced a completely new and modern conceptualization of risk and its management. This contemporary framework can serve as a foundation for future security reforms in Bulgaria, ensuring its lasting impact.
- The training module provides an opportunity to develop new courses on risk assessment and security strategies, which can be integrated into the curriculum of New Bulgarian University (NBU).
- The reader, available on the NBU website, along with the project website (www.securityrisks.eu), serves as a sustainable source of knowledge on risk-related issues, offering continued access to information and research in the field of security policy.
Through these outputs, the project lays the groundwork for continuous learning, policy adaptation, and academic development, ensuring its relevance and usability in future security reforms.