Estudio de la legítima defensa en España y en Estados Unidos

Abstract

La legítima defensa es una figura que permite al individuo defenderse ante agresiones injustas con el fin de proteger bienes jurídicos personales, contando con unas posibilidades de defensa restringidas por el contexto ético-social. Su evolución, desde su concepción como un instrumento de venganza privada a una institución jurídica plena regulada por la ley penal de cada país, ha estado sujeta a un desarrollo jurisprudencial y doctrinal muy intenso que nos ayuda a entender cómo se configura la legítima defensa actualmente. En España, esta causa de justificación tiene tres requisitos objetivos: existencia de una agresión ilegítima, necesidad racional del medio empleado para repelerla y falta de provocación previa. A estos presupuestos se suma la vertiente subjetiva, ilustrada por el ánimo defensivo. Por otro lado, en Estados Unidos encontramos tres doctrinas principales, Duty to Retreat, Castle y Stand Your Ground, que cada estado ha modelado jurisprudencialmente para configurar su sistema de legítima defensa.

Self-defense is a figure that allows the individual to defend himself against unjust aggressions in order to protect personal legal property, with the possibilities of defense restricted by the social-ethical context. Its evolution, from its conception as an instrument of private revenge to a full legal institution regulated by the criminal law of each country, has been subject to a very intense jurisprudential and doctrinal development that helps us to understand how self-defense is currently configured. In Spain, this cause of justification has three objective requirements: the existence of an unlawful aggression, the rational necessity of the means used to repel it and the lack of prior provocation. To these presuppositions is added the subjective aspect, illustrated by the defensive intent. On the other hand, in the United States there are three main doctrines, Duty to Retreat, Castle and Stand Your Ground, which each state has modeled jurisprudentially to configure its system of self-defense.