Controversial issues of the content of humanism in criminal law

Introduction: the article deals with the issues of concern of humanism in the criminal law, as well as some shortcomings of the wording of certain Articles of the Criminal Code through humanism. Materials and Methods: the study used a set of dialectical research methods, namely comparative, discursive, formal legal, as well as the number of sociological methods: observation and method of expert evaluation and analysis that was used in the study of normative documents and materials of judicial practice. Results: on the basis of the conducted studies, the authors came to the conclusion that respect and observe human rights and freedoms is a multi-level problem affecting all relationships between individuals and the state. The challenge is future development of law and legal order through the principles of humanism. Suggestions on strengthening and improvement of the principle of humanism in the criminal law of Russia are made. Discussion and Conclusions: the article provides a comprehensive analysis of the criminal law in order to identify and clarify the principle of humanism reflected in them, normatively enshrined in Article 7 of the Criminal Code, and suggests the author's solution to the identified problematic aspects.