On May 8th at 18:30, Chen Hongbing, a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Law of Southeast University, was invited by the School of Public Health to give a special lecture on " whether criminal law is gentle and tender or grotesque ". The lecture was successfully held at the Science and Technology Hall of Dingjiaqiao Campus, with nearly 500 teachers and students from different majors participating both online and offline to listen to this academic feast that combines legal depth and humanistic warmth.
At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Chen Hongbing systematically elaborated on the dual attributes of criminal law, starting with the core question of "whether criminal law is gentle and tender or grotesque". He pointed out that criminal law not only has a rigid function of "punishment", but also carries the social responsibility of "protection", "education" and "prevention", and is the last line of defense for citizens' basic rights. By interpreting Article 301 of the Criminal Law, Professor Chen emphasized that the criminal law should seek a balance between maintaining public order and protecting human rights, and achieve a positive interaction between the rule of law and the rule of man.
In the case analysis section, Professor Chen used eighteen real or simulated cases as carriers to deeply demonstrate the complexity of criminal law application. He analyzed the criteria for identifying "ringleaders" and "ordinary participants" from a legal perspective in response to the "group sexual misconduct case organized by a university teacher in Nanjing"; Exploring the judicial determination of subjective intent in the "flour impersonation heroin framing case"; Analyze the legal boundaries of criminal responsibility measurement through the case of attempted same-sex rape by mistake. What is particularly thought-provoking is the moral dilemma case of "saving mother and saving girlfriend". Professor Chen pointed out that criminal law judgment should balance legal responsibility and human care, reflecting both "rigid" sanctions and "flexible" remedies.
In the section of "Exploration of Criminal Law and Its Social Responsibility", Professor Chen reviewed his years of practical experience in the academic and legal fields. He mentioned that criminal law should not only be limited to "intellectual games", but should be closely linked to social reality and shoulder the mission of "protecting the weak, punishing rape, and upholding justice". Faced with the complex and ever-changing social reality, judicial organs require higher professional competence and social sensitivity, and the academic community should timely propose improvement suggestions to provide intellectual support for improving legislation and judicial interpretations.
In this special lecture, Professor Chen Hongbing, with his profound academic foundation and vivid explanations, gave teachers and students a deeper understanding of the essence of criminal law and social responsibility, and clearly demonstrated the close connection between legal research and judicial practice. I believe that in the future, students from Southeast China will uphold justice and respect the law, and forge ahead on the path of building a rule of law China.