Sentencing disparity: An analysis of judicial consistency

This paper reports the results of an analysis of judicial disparity in the sentencing of persons represented by legal-aid lawyers. Because the socioeconomic characteristics of legal-aid clients are fairly uniform, the analysis of such cases made it possible to explore the influence of case facts, system factors, and the judicial disparity of the sentences given in relatively similar situations. The analysis finds that case facts and offender characteristics, particularly prior record, are good predictors of sentence type and excellent predictors of sentence length. While there was some indication of judicial inconsistency in sentence-type decisions, that is, unexplained variation from case to case, there was little indication of strong individual judicial bias across the cases used in the analysis.     

社会权利的司法救济

传统人权观念认为社会权利不属于普遍性的个人权利,在救济方式上不赋予该权利体系以司法适用性。目前,人们逐渐认识到作为整体的人的各种权利具有相互关联性,自由权与社会权不是孤立的两类存在,无法脱离其中的一类权利来抽象地保护另一类权利,于是,一些国家和地区在可能的范围内发展了社会权利的司法救济,包括集体申诉制度、对公民和政治权利的社会性解释、通过肯定性救济手段给予社会权利以事实上的司法保护与公益诉讼等形式。通过这些方式,社会权利一定程度上获得了司法救济。     

社会权司法救济之宪政分析

社会权是与自由权同等重要的宪法权利。透视各国宪政实践可以清晰地观察到,社会权宪法化及其救济司法化的趋势业已形成,并以三种方式呈现巨大的发展潜力。一是宪法明确规定社会权,并视之为主观权利予以直接司法救济;二是宪法没有明确规定社会权,但确立了司法审查,通过适用正当程序和平等保护原则予以间接司法救济;三是宪法规定社会权作为国家政策指导原则,且视之为客观权利予以间接司法救济。很明显,社会权具有一定范围和程度的可诉性。     

Threats to Perceptions of Fairness in the Termination of Parental Rights

Termination of parental rights (TPR) proceedings are among the most important family court activities. This study contributes to knowledge of the TPR process by illustrating practices employed in TPR proceedings and considering ways that certain practices can hinder perceptions of fairness. TPR court records from one state were analyzed using inductive coding procedures. The analysis identified nine categories of threats to perceptions of fairness in the TPR process. Findings have implications for procedural justice and the legitimacy of child welfare practice.     

The Last Word in Court—A Hidden Disadvantage for the Defense

In the legal systems of most western countries, defense attorneys present their sentencing recommendation after the prosecution has presented its sentencing demands. This procedural sequence for criminal cases is intended to balance the impact of both parties on the judge's final decision. Especially the positioning of the defense's plea at the end of the trial follows the fundamental legal principle “in dubio pro reo.” Research on judgmental anchoring, however, suggests that the standard procedural sequence may in fact work against this principle. Consistent with this implication, the present studies demonstrate that the defense's sentencing recommendation is anchored on, and consequently assimilated toward, the preceding recommendation by the prosecution. This influence prevents the defense attorney from effectively counterbalancing the prosecutor's demand. Instead, the biased defense attorney's recommendation partially mediates the impact of the prosecutor's demand on the judge's decision. These findings suggest that the standard procedural sequence in court may place the defense at a distinct disadvantage.     

Prospective lawyers’ rape stereotypes and schematic decision making about rape cases

Abstract

Two studies explored stereotypic information processing in rape cases by prospective lawyers in Germany. In Study 1, 451 undergraduate law students rated rape scenarios varying with respect to defendant–complainant relationship and coercive strategy (force versus exploitation of the complainant's alcohol-induced defencelessness). Acceptance of rape myths was also measured. Likelihood of defendant liability was rated to be lower when there was a prior relationship between the parties and when the defendant exploited the complainant's defencelessness as compared to when he used force (except in the ex-partner rapes where blame was higher in the alcohol-related than in the force-related cases). Complainant blame was higher when there was a prior relationship between the parties and was higher in the alcohol-related cases than in the force-related cases, except in the ex-partner rape where the pattern was reversed. Participants with high rape myth acceptance held the defendant less liable and blamed the complainant more, especially when the two had known each other. Study 2 largely replicated these findings with 129 postgraduate trainee lawyers and showed that sentencing recommendations also varied as a function of defendant–complainant relationship and coercive strategy. Providing participants with the legal definition of rape did not reduce reliance on rape stereotypes.     

宪法社会权及其司法救济——比较法的视角

宪法社会权的正当性及其直接司法救济的可行性是存在争议的问题,不同国家在不同情况下对于该问题采取了不同态度,有的国家仅把宪法社会权作为不可直接司法救济的宣示性权利;有的则采取了“弱救济”的方式,更多尊重立法与行政部门的裁量权;也有的法院在特殊情况下会采用“强救济”的方式,直接判决强制实现宪法社会权。实际上,法院可能会根据实际情况转化适用“弱救济”与“强救济”。在宪法社会权领域,不可过分依赖司法救济,而应更多地由政府根据人民的需要来具体实现。排除了直接司法救济这一必要条件,宪法社会权的正当性难题也就迎刃而解。     

TRADE‐OFFS IN FORMULATING A CONSISTENT NATIONAL POLICY ON ADOPTION*

Just as the courts must consider the trade‐off between the best interest of the child and parental rights in involuntary termination of parental rights, policy on international adoption must consider the trade‐offs between the best interest of the child and the long‐term interests of the nation. We argue that countries that suspend international adoptions do not maximize social welfare. A consistent national policy to maximize the well‐being of the children and society at large would be to devote resources today to the oversight of international adoption in accord with child protections under the Hague Convention, while at the same time developing a domestic system of care that provides for the physical and developmental needs of orphaned children in the context of permanent families.     

CONTEXTUAL DISPARITIES IN GUIDELINES DEPARTURES: COURTROOM SOCIAL CONTEXTS,GUIDELINES COMPLIANCE,AND EXTRALEGAL DISPARITIES IN CRIMINAL SENTENCING1

This study examines the theoretical and empirical linkages between criminal court social contexts and the judicial use of sentences that deviate from the recommendations of sentencing guidelines. Individual sentencing data from the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (PCS) are combined with county‐level measures of social context to examine predictions about the role courtroom characteristics play in judicial departures. Results from hierarchical analyses suggest that the likelihood of departure varies significantly across courts, even after accounting for variations in individual case characteristics. Several measures of courtroom social context—including the size of the court, its caseload pressure and the overall guidelines compliance rate—are significantly related to the individual likelihood of receiving a departure sentence. Moreover, the social context of the court also conditions the influence of various individual‐level sentencing considerations. Findings are discussed in relation to contemporary theoretical perspectives on courtroom decision making and future directions for research on contextual disparities in criminal sentencing are suggested.     

论人民调解协议司法确认裁判的效力

人民调解协议司法确认裁判的效力根据在于非讼裁判权的运用和当事人的合意.关于不予确认决定,因当事人可以重新达成调解协议或提起民事诉讼,它不具有形式确定力.关于确认决定,在案外人异议期后它应具有形式确定力,虽不具有既判力但应具有一事不再理的效力;具有给付内容的确认决定还应具有执行力;某些确认形成性法律关系的决定,则应具有形成力.案外人裁判撤销制度的存在暂时阻却了裁判形式确定力的发生,旨在为案外人提供救济;并且,由于司法确认裁判不适用再审,再审也就没有打破各种效力的功效.     

INITIAL DEVELOPMENT OF A PSYCHOLOGICAL MODEL FOR JUDICIAL DECISION MAKING IN CONTINUING RESTRAINING ORDERS

Probate and family court judges are increasingly called upon to make rapid decisions regarding the continuance of restraining orders. These decisions are often made without the benefit of adequate background information or an awareness of which psychological and behavioral factors are most relevant. This action‐oriented research project develops a model that brings psychosocial factors to consideration for judges making decisions regarding the continuance of restraining orders. While further evaluation of the model is needed, the project's unique methodology highlights the value of interdisciplinary collaboration, multiple methods of inquiry, and the consideration of real‐world needs and constraints in developing decision‐making tools.     

公民基本权利的司法救济探析

司法救济是保障公民基本权利的最终途径,宪法的法律属性决定了它的直接法律效力。公民基本权利的宪法规定可以适用于诉讼。我国虽未真正建立起对公民基本权利这一宪法权利的司法救济制度,但已呈现出了司法救济的雏形。建立和完善我国公民基本权利的司法救济制度,有利于保障公民基本权利的实现和对宪法实施的有效监督。     

论我国司法鉴定启动权制度改革

司法鉴定启动权制度是司法鉴定程序中的重要组成部分,不仅影响着司法审判的客观公正性,更关系到当事人诉讼权利的保障.本文通过对两大法系司法鉴定启动权制度进行比较研究,在结合我国司法鉴定制度现状的基础上,对我国司法鉴定启动权制度改革进行了分析,并提出了相关建议.     

Parliamentary Bills of Rights: An Alternative Model?

This paper examines the emergence of a new model for protecting rights (referred to as the 'parliamentary rights' model) in Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the Australian Capital Territory. This parliamentary model is distinguished from the more traditional, judicial-centric, approach to rights protection in at least two ways. The first is that this parliamentary rights model incorporates the notion of legitimate political dissent from judicial interpretations of rights. The second way it challenges the court-centred model is by incorporating the systematic evaluation of proposed legislation from a rights perspective. Both of these features allow for the possibility of a broader range of perspectives on the appropriate interpretation of rights or the resolution of disagreements involving claims of rights than those arising from more judicial-centric bills of rights. The paper assesses whether this alternative approach to rights protection satisfies those sceptics who doubt the virtue or prudence of conceiving of political disputes as legal rights claims for which the judiciary has the dominant role in their interpretation and resolution.     

合作司法:司法公信力的社会治理谱系——基于福柯权力谱系学的展开

司法公信力是司法的生命力所在,也是全面深化改革在司法领域中的着力点。构筑司法公信力需要从社会治理高度对司法运作机制以重新审视。合作司法是社会治理谱系下从管理向治理转变在司法中的体现。降低司法成本和实践司法公正是合作司法实践路径中的两个向度,统筹两者是合作司法之于司法公信力的意蕴所在。     

徘徊在限权与放权之间——社会转型时期对司法理念的探索

为应对转型时期社会对司法的需求,最高人民法院提出了"能动司法"理念,各级人民法院积极践行,取得了成效,并引发了广泛关注和讨论。能动司法实践中,司法权无序扩张影响了司法的公信力,但能动司法依然是社会转型时期中国的现实选择。我们应当客观评价能动司法理念,承认能动司法的限度,防止能动带来的负面影响。探寻新的司法理念,以继续推进司法体制改革适应社会发展。