“不知者无罪”还是“不知法不赦”——浅论违法性认识理论在大陆刑法学说中的演进

不知法不赦来自一句古老的罗马格言。此原则强调“法律上的认识错误是有害的”，行为人对于法律认识的错误，并不能成为其逃避惩罚的借口。美国司法判例中的“不允许对法的不知”原则，被认为是刑事程序中最古老、最有价值的原则之一。二战以后，随着人类社会日益进步和各国刑法学理论研究的发展，这一古老的原则也开始受到人们的质疑。严格坚持不知法不免责导致了一些不公正的审判的出现，许多国家的刑法典开始对此原则进行修正。不可避免的法律认识错误可以免责，而可以避免的法律认识错误只能减责。

"Uninformed Person Is Not Guilty" or "Not Forgiving the Ignorance of Law"

Not forgiving the ignorance of law comes from an ancient Rome proverb, which stresses that incorrect legal understanding is harmful and cannot be the excuse of escaping punishment. The principle of not permitting the ignorance of law in American judicial precedent is regarded as one of the oldest and most valuable principles in criminal procedure. After World War Two, with the increasing social progress and development of theoretical study of criminal law, this principle began to receive people＇s suspicion. Strictly insisting on non-exception from liability due to ignorance of law has resulted in some unjust trials, and many countries has begun to revise their criminal laws. Unavoidable mistake in legal understanding can be excepted from liability, while avoidable mistake in legal understanding can only enjoy punishment reduction.