Immanuel Kant's Basis Of Criminality

What is Immanuel Kant’s basis in dealing with criminality? This basis perhaps lies on his doctrine of crime and punishment which he elaborated in his work, Metaphysic of Morals. Kant begins by defining what crime is: an act accompanied with consciousness that is transgression. For Kant, laws exist in order to protect the society and state and anyone who violates the law must be deemed guilty and therefore be punished. As Kant asserted, it is the lawgiver or legislator who command the law. He has the obligation to enforce laws and has the right to judge and impose punishment to anyone as a consequence of his culpable act of demerit.