Gruesome Evidence and Emotion: Anger, Blame, and Jury Decision-Making

Judges assume that gruesome evidence can influence juror verdicts, but little is known about the manner in which the influence is manifested. In a 2 × 3 study that varied the gruesome content of photographic and verbal evidence, gruesome verbal evidence did not influence mock juror emotional states, and had no impact on the conviction rate. Mock jurors who saw gruesome photographs, compared with those who saw no photographs, reported experiencing significantly more intense emotional responses, including greater anger at the defendant. The conviction rate when visual evidence in the form of gruesome or neutral photographs was included was significantly higher than the conviction rate without photographic evidence. Mean ratings of the inculpatory weight of prosecution evidence by mock jurors presented with gruesome photographs were significantly higher than those by mock jurors who did not view any photographs. Further analyses revealed that mock juror anger toward the defendant mediated the influence of the gruesome photographs in enhancing the weight of inculpatory evidence.     

An Examination of Jury Verdicts for Evidence of a Similarity-Leniency Effect,an Out-Group Punitiveness Effect or a Black Sheep Effect

Archival data from cases adjudicated by jury in El Paso and Bexar County, Texas, were used to test whether a similarity-leniency effect, an out-group punitiveness effect, or a black sheep effect (BSE; J. M. Marques, V Y. Yzerbyt, & J. P. Leyens, 1988) influenced jury decisions. Defendant ethnicity, jury ethnic composition, and strength of evidence against the defendant were coded for 418 closed noncapital, felony cases to test their impact on trial verdicts and sentence lengths. Results indicated complex relations exist among juror and defendant characteristics and their influence on trial outcomes. No support was found for any of the theoretical models as predictors of jury decision-making. Strength of evidence was the most influential variable for both verdicts and length of sentences. Case strength, defendant ethnicity, and jury composition were related to sentence lengths.     

A Third Verdict Option: Exploring the Impact of the Not Proven Verdict on Mock Juror Decision Making

In most adversarial systems, jurors in criminal cases consider the binary verdict alternatives of "Guilty" and "Not guilty." However, in some circumstances and jurisdictions, a third verdict option is available: Not Proven. The Not Proven verdict essentially reflects the view that the defendant is indeed culpable, but that the prosecution has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Like a Not Guilty verdict, the Not Proven verdict results in an acquittal. The main aim of the two studies reported here was to determine how, and under what circumstances, jurors opt to use the Not Proven verdict across different case types and when the strength of the evidence varies. In both studies, jurors were more likely to choose a Not Proven verdict over a Not Guilty verdict when the alternative was available. When evidence against the defendant was only moderately strong and a Not Proven verdict option was available (Study 2), there was also a significant reduction in the conviction rate. Results also showed that understanding of the Not Proven verdict was poor, highlighting inadequacies in the nature of judicial instructions relating to this verdict.     

科学技术发展对刑事证据的影响初探

随着科技的发展及其不断深入到人们生活的方方面面,对刑事证据制度的影响越来越大。科技影响了刑事证据制度的变迁;扩大了刑事证据的范围,使越来越多的非自然物进入证据之列;对于收集、固定和保全刑事证据,既提供了新的手段,也提出了新的挑战;同时对于刑事证据的采信规则也产生了影响。从科技的角度研究刑事证据,可以为我国建立完善刑事证据规则奠定理论基础。     

Emotions and Attributions of Legal Responsibility and Blame: A Research Review

Research on the effects of emotions and moods on judgments of legal responsibility and blame is reviewed. Emotions and moods may influence decision makers in 3 ways: by affecting their information processing strategies, by inclining their judgments in the direction of the valence of the emotion or mood, and/or by providing informational cues to the proper decision. A model is proposed that incorporates these effects and further distinguishes among various affective influences in terms of whether the affect is provoked by a source integral or incidental to the judgment task, and whether it affects judgment directly (e.g., by providing an informational cue to judgment) or indirectly (e.g., by affecting construal of judgment target features, which in turn affects the judgment). Legal decision makers' abilities to correct for any affective influences they perceive to be undesirable and normative implications for legal theory and practice are briefly discussed.     

数字证据、电子证据、科学证据、电子记录概念比较分析

与数字证据相关的概念很多,但它们的内涵和外延存在一定差异,从提出概念的出发点、载体、表现形式、研究范围等角度分析数字证据、电子证据、科学证据、电子记录等概念的差异,并进一步提出对数字证据进行专门研究的科学性和必要性。     

证明力与证据能力规则演变规律探究——我国证据规则立法方向的理性选择

证据规则立法演变呈现出如下规律:首先,在证明力问题上,法官的判断经历了从不自由到自由的过程,证据证明力日渐脱离法律的规定,而进入法官自由裁量的范围;其次,证据能力属于法律问题,应当成为各国证据立法的重心所在。我国当前证据立法与上述规律背道而驰,其中,证据能力规则不仅数量稀疏,而且质量不高;相反,证明力规则却显得相当庞杂,占据了证据规则体系的主干地位。为此,在将证据立法重心由证明力转向证据能力的同时,又要防止矫枉过正。一方面,我国尚未形成自由心证约束机制,仍然需要一定的证明力规则来制约法官的心证;另一方面,我国当前证据资源有限,证据能力排除规则又不宜规定过多,以避免对案件事实真相认定产生障碍。     

民事诉讼中的证据调查制度

证据调查程序和证据调查方法直接关系到当事人的举证能力和案件事实的发现,对此两大法系采用了不同的立法模式。英美法系以形式合理性为基础,以发现程序作为独立的证据调查程序;大陆法系国家受发现真实主义理念的影响,没有设立独立的证据调查程序。但也赋予了当事人一定的证据调查手段,如文书提出命令、资讯请求权等。我国民事诉讼法并未明确确立证据调查程序和证据调查方法,本文在对我国民事诉讼关于证据调查立法的历史沿革进行分析的基础上,提出了我国确立证据调查程序的思路。     

Understanding juror perceptions of forensic evidence: investigating the impact of case context on perceptions of forensic evidence strength

The most widely accepted model of juror decision making acknowledges the importance of both the case-specific information presented in the courtroom, as well as the prior general knowledge and beliefs held by each juror. The studies presented in this paper investigated whether mock jurors could differentiate between evidence of varying strengths in the absence of case information and then followed on to determine the influence that case context (and therefore the story model) has on judgments made about the strength of forensic DNA evidence. The results illustrated that mock jurors correctly identified various strengths of evidence when it was not presented with case information; however, the perceived strength of evidence was significantly inflated when presented in the context of a criminal case, particularly when the evidence was of a weak or ambiguous standard. These findings are discussed in relation to the story model, and the potential implications for real juries.     

Meta-analytically quantifying the reliability and biasability of forensic experts

Abstract:  In this paper we employ meta-analytic procedures and estimate effect sizes indexing the degree of reliability and biasability of forensic experts. The data are based on within-expert comparisons, whereby the same expert unknowingly makes judgments on the same data at different times. This allows us to take robust measurements and conduct analyses that compare variances within the same experts, and thus to carefully quantify the degree of consistency and objectivity that underlie expert performance and decision making. To achieve consistency, experts must be reliable, at least in the very basic sense that an expert makes the same decision when the same data are presented in the same circumstances, and thus be consistent with themselves. To achieve objectivity, experts must focus only on the data and ignore irrelevant information, and thus be unbiasable by extraneous context. The analyses show that experts are not totally reliable nor are they unbiasable. These findings are based on fingerprint experts decision making, but because this domain is so well established, they apply equally well (if not more) to all other less established forensic domains.     

刑事人身辨认证据种类辨析及相关证据规则的适用

2012年3月14日,全国人大通过了经过全面修改的《刑事诉讼法》,在新《刑事诉讼法》中,辨认笔录第一次以法定证据的形式出现在了我国的刑事立法中.随后出台的配套司法解释以《刑事诉讼法》为依据,构建了较为完备的人身辨认证据规则体系,这改变了长期以来辨认笔录作为证据于法无据、作为侦查线索运用混乱的失范局面,是一个显著的进步.但规范层面的概念界定并没有完全消除理论上对于人身辨认证据种类方面的争论,人身辨认在证明对象、心理机制和证明方式上与相关言词证据千丝万缕的联系为人身辨认证据规则的适用增加了困难.因此,有必要从人身辨认证据种类界定入手,探究辨认证据在证据规则适用上的特殊问题,力图强化辨认证据的审查判断,以降低错误辨认的可能性及其对案件实体结果的不利影响.     

刑事证据法的制度转型与研究转向——以非法证据排除规则为线索的分析

20世纪初美国法学界曾针对"非法证据排除规则"发生过激烈论争,证据学家威格莫尔与法律改革家豪尔乃是论争中对立的双方,其论争的历史贡献在于引出了近现代西方证据法(学)发展的两大论题:"证据法应以证明性为中心还是以可采性为中心"与"如何处理证据规则的实现和诉讼程序的构建之间的关系"。确立与构筑非法证据排除规则是我国《刑事诉讼法》再修改的重要环节,当前我国刑事证据法学界的诸多争论与威格莫尔和豪尔当年的论战存在诸多"历史相似性",故有必要进行关联审视。由于我国证据立法以证明性而非可采性为中心,证据规则的实践运行环境不容乐观,理论研究也因为一直受到证据学进路的统摄而不能获得独立。为摆脱困境,我国刑事证据法学界应当以学科建制的探讨为契机,实现中国证据法的制度转型,即构建以可采性规则为中心的证据规则体系,旨在防止误判与价值权衡。同时实现证据法学的研究转向,即实现中国的证据学之法学转型、人权法转型及相对于实体法的独立性转型。     

文本·实践·语境:公诉证据标准的现代性诊断

公诉证据标准与其他配套制度机制一同维护着公诉权的合法性与有效性。一方面,在理论上,公诉证据标准并非一个独立的论题;另一方面,在比较法上,当今中外刑诉制度中的公诉证据标准也没有高下之分,均必须遵从公诉权的合法性与有效性之逻辑。西方法治国家的公诉证据标准辅证了这一制度逻辑。反观我国,当前承担公诉权合法性功能的配套制度机制尚不健全,导致公诉权的合法性只能依赖于较高程度的公诉证据标准和较强程度的犯罪控制能力。在此意义上,理论界对我国现行公诉证据标准过高的批评,似乎未中要害,急于降低我国当前的公诉证据标准,不仅缺乏程序制度基础,而且会挫动公诉权的有效性,并最终损及公诉权的合法性。     

美国法庭科学证据的应用与发展

＂法庭科学＂萌芽于古代中国,兴盛于近现代西方国家,最终发展成为具备完整科学体系的现代意义上的法庭科学学科。法庭科学证据的应用与发展显然与法庭科学的发展与应用密切相关,它们相互制约,相互促进。美国司法制度中关于法庭科学证据的证明力、可信度、可采性的分立质疑对法庭科学本身的发展无疑起到鞭策与促进作用。美国法庭科学证据的司法制度以及常用的一些传统与高技术法庭科学证据的使用过程中存在的许多问题,理解法庭科学证据标准,对我国法庭科学及其证据的研究与应用有所启迪。     

办案情况说明的证据学思考

办案情况说明在刑事司法实践中经常使用,但一直没有得到足够的研究,导致很难正确理解其的证据属性,影响了处理刑事案件的质量,因此有必要从证据法学的角度研究办案情况说明。本文论述了办案情况说明作为证据形式存在的必要性,分析了办案情况说明的种类,论证了办案情况说明的证据属性,指出了办案情况说明的证据采信规则,以及具体适用时须注意的一些程序性问题。     

民事诉讼中证据交换制度的确立和完善

证据交换是各国民事诉讼中的共同性制度 ,它的确立有利于实现公平诉讼 ,提高审判质量和审判效率 ,同时也有利于实现审判的集中化 ,节省司法资源。对证据交换可以从不同的视角予以观察和分类。我国应当将证据交换制度系统化 ,使之具有可操作性以及实效性。     

Property Crime Victims' Decision to Notify the Police: Social,Cognitive, and Affective Determinants

Previous research suggests that 3 general processes underlie the decision of property crime victims to notify the police: One that is cognitively driven by reward/cost considerations, one that is affectively driven, and another that is socially driven. This study is the first to employ a community sample of crime victims to compare the 3 processes within a single study. Computer-assisted interviews were conducted with 422 property crime victims (n = 129 burglary, n = 293 theft) located via a random digit dialing procedure. Logistic regression analyses showed that each process independently accounted for a significant amount of the variance in victim reporting, and that there were no interactions among the three processes in predicting reporting. Of the 3 processes, social influence was the best predictor of reporting. Analysis of the affect-driven process showed that reporting was primarily a function of the level of fear rather than anger or the level of generalized arousal upon discovering the crime.     

证据的审查与认定原理论纲

关于审查判断证据的语词及其内涵的变化在一定程度上反映了我国证据学研究重心的转移。审查认定证据的基本范畴包括证据的审查与证据的认定;审查认定证据的主体与客体;审查认定证据的内容与方式。审查认定证据的标准包括采纳证据的标准和采信证据的标准。审查认定证据的规则包括证据的采纳规则和采信规则。不同种类的证据有不同的审查认定路径和方法。审查认定证据的原理包括认识论原理、价值论原理、方法论原理等。     

Corporate Volunteerism,the Experience of Self-Integrity,and Organizational Commitment: Evidence from the Field

We examined the relationship between the motives underlying employees’ participation in corporate-sponsored volunteerism and their organizational commitment. In both a pilot study and in the main study, employees’ motivation to volunteer based on the desire to express personally meaningful values (also known as the values function of volunteerism) was positively related to their organizational commitment. Additional findings from the main study helped to explain why this was so: being motivated by the values function of volunteerism was positively related to how much participants experienced self-integrity in the workplace, which in turn was positively related to their organizational commitment. That is, experiencing self-integrity in the workplace mediated the relationship between how much employees were motivated by the values function and their organizational commitment. The results of subsidiary analyses provided further evidence that corporate volunteerism was positively related to organizational commitment, and that the experience of self-integrity mediated this relationship. Implications for both the corporate volunteerism and functions of volunteerism literatures are discussed, as are practical implications and suggestions for future research.     

从证据学角度探讨法医学及其分支学科的重新定义

从证据学角度,对法医学及其分支学科进行了重新定义和划分。同时,为了从人文科学和自然科学两个方面理顺法医学的学科定位,尝试澄清了＂证据科学＂与＂法（庭）科学＂、＂应用医学＂与＂特种医学＂等相关上下位学科和平行学科的概念。