Based on the Code, crimes were classified under three headings: delicts, misdemeanors and contraventions.
The Penal Code of 1969 has been developed under Nicolae Ceaușescu and in accordance to Marxist ideals.
It also included specific definitions of infraction, attempt, perjury, rape, bribe, prostitution, war propaganda and theft.
Capital punishment was replaced with life imprisonment, as the post-Communist Constitution of Romania outlaws the death penalty.
Many changes were made to the Ceauşescu Code in the 1990 - 2014 period, in order to rid it of communist ideology and modernize it, including with regard to domestic violence and the framework of the sexual offenses chapter, with changes including the decriminalization of parasitism, adultery and homosexual relationships [8][9] The Code was also republished in 1997.
On one hand, several offenses were decriminalized, as they were seen as outdated, or otherwise inappropriate for a democratic society.
[10] According to official explanatory notes released prior to its implementation, the new legislation aimed to simplify and accelerate criminal proceedings, eliminate overlaps between Penal Code provisions and those contained in special laws, transpose European regulations into national law and ensure the observance of human rights provisions contained by the Constitution and various international treaties signed by Romania.
In this context, the code redefined the concept of criminal offences, adjusted prison sentences, amended the mechanisms by which criminal fines are calculated, eliminated prison sentences for juvenile offenders (replacing them with educational measures) and introduced new offences against persons, property, justice and professional conduct.
The former contains general provisions on offences, penalties, criminal liability, the status of minors, security measures, and prescription, while the latter regulates individual offences, which are grouped into twelve titles, plus an additional title comprising final provisions.