From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpenal codeˈpenal ˌcode noun [countable] SCLa set of laws and the punishments for not obeying those laws
Examples from the Corpus
penal code• But lawyers, investigators and police have only contempt for the penal code, in force since Jan. 1.• Self-defacement, inciting anti-Soviet attitudes, it's all in the penal code.• Euthanasia technically remained a criminal offence subject to a minimum prison sentence of 12 years under Article 293 of the penal code.• But what needs to be changed is the spirit of the penal code.• At the start, parliamentarians were given different versions of the penal code to discuss.• This law includes amendments to the penal code and the conditional release of approximately 38,000 prisoners. 