Crime of Evasion of Alimony Payments under s. 196 of the Criminal Code

The presented Advanced Master's thesis describes one of the most frequently committed criminal offences in the Czech Republic, specifically the criminal offence of neglecting the duty to maintain and support pursuant to Section 196 of the Criminal Code and, in general, the issue of parents' failure to comply with the duty to maintain and support their children; this thesis aims to provide a comprehensive description of this topic. The thesis is divided into seven chapters supplemented by an introduction and a conclusion. Chapter one focuses on the historical roots of this criminal offence, as the punishability of non-compliance with the duty to maintain and support has a long tradition in this country. Subsequently, chapter two outlines the basic characteristics of this criminal offence and provides a detailed analysis of the individual elements of two basic merits under Section 196 (1) and (2) of the Criminal Code, as well as of the qualified merits with respect to these two basic merits. In view of the blanket nature of the merits of neglecting the duty to maintain and support, chapter three hereof describes the private-law regulation of the duty to maintain and support. Chapter four analyses the most common reasons and motives for non-compliance with the duty to maintain and support, as well as..