非法证据排除规则若干操作问题研究

构建非法证据排除规则尚有一些程序问题需要解决。就其适用范围而言,非法证据排除规则仅适用于"侦查机关的违法取证行为"而不适用于"私人的违法取证行为",但对于私人采用极端反人性的手段所获取的证据,应当适用非法证据排除规则予以排除;同时,非法证据排除规则仅适用于"非法证据"而不适用于"瑕疵证据","瑕疵证据"可以经由补正而继续使用,而"非法证据"则应当彻底排除,而且这里所谓的"排除",指的是彻底意义上之排除,即,一经排除则不得再次采用;对于口供而言,不仅排除该证据,而且排除该证据源,即不仅排除该口供本身,而且排除口供这一证据类型。     

指供及其证据排除问题

指供是极易导致冤假错案的一种取证方法,在实践中大多与刑讯逼供、威胁、引诱等方法合并使用.指供使虚假口供与其它证据形成印证,因而使虚假口供难以被识别和剔除,同时也导致非法口供更难被排除,所以指供有造成冤假错案的高度危险性.对于指供所获口供,应设置单独的口供排除规则,而不能依附于刑讯逼供等非法方法所获口供的排除.是否可能使无辜嫌疑人承认自己有罪并按照审讯人员意图而作出犯罪事实细节的虚假口供,是指供所获口供的判断标准.具体而言,应当从审讯人员是否透露不应透露的证据或信息、嫌疑人是否会受审讯人员指供内容影响而虚假供述两个方面进行判断.但在一些例外情形下指供所获口供无须排除,如对嫌疑人口供进行了其它途径的验证,或指供内容不会导致错误认定事实.     

审查批捕阶段如何排除并处理证据中存在的问题

导致错案发生的不仅仅是非法证据,同时也有瑕疵证据、虚假证据、主要证据矛盾未予排除及证据不足等原因，在审查逮捕这个重要诉讼环节及时审查排除证据中存在的问题，正确把握证明标准，才能更有效地杜绝错案。     

同步录音录像讯问犯罪嫌疑人若干问题研究

新刑诉法对同步录音录像做了相关规定,但是在研究中对同步录音录像的证据属性、与讯问笔录的关系及在非法证据排除规则的运用等问题上仍纠缠不清。同步录音录像在我国刑事诉讼语境下不是证据,也不是法定的固定口供形式,不能替代讯问笔录。同步录音录像是非法证据排除的有效方式,但是对存在与讯问笔录不一致时,应区别对待。对与案件事实有关的内容不一致,公诉机关不能证明讯问笔录合法、真实时,讯问笔录内容应无条件排除。     

对“非法证据”概念的反思和解构

对＂非法证据＂的概念进行界定是研究和正确运用非法证据排除规则的前提和基础。因此对＂非法证据＂的概念的把握和界定意义重大。对＂非法证据＂概念及本质若无清醒的认识,就难以科学地构建和有效地运用非法证据排除规则。基于此,本文对＂非法证据＂的概念进行了解构和分析,对传统观点进行了反思,并将与＂非法证据＂相关的概念——＂瑕疵证据＂进行了区分,对非法证据的取证手法进行了进一步分析,以期对实务部门正确理解和运用非法证据排除规则提供借鉴和参考。     

审查起诉阶段非法口供排除探究

《关于办理刑事案件排除非法证据若干问题的规定》的出台,使得审查起诉阶段具有鲜明中国特色的非法口供排除规则已具雏形。当前审查起诉阶段非法口供排除对获取非法口供所使用的非法手段界定不清楚,非法口供排除程序规定不明确,缺少与非法口供排除相关的配套规定以及非法证据排除规定的司法解释效力存在争议等现实难题。建议进一步规范审查起诉阶段非法口供排除的实践操作,明确审查起诉阶段非法口供排除的程序设置与救济路径,进一步界定非法的内涵与外延,建立检察介入侦查引导取证制度等,从多方面进行相应的改进。     

论“两个证据规定”的三大突破与五个局限——以非法言词证据的证据能力为重心

两高三部新近颁布的"两个证据规定"(《关于死刑案件审查判断证据若干问题的规定》与《关于办理刑事案件排除非法证据若干问题的规定》)重申了非法言词证据一般应予排除的原则,修订了非法言词证据的涵义及取证规范,确立了瑕疵证据一般不予排除的操作程式,是我国刑事证据制度改革的突破进展。同时,也存在对严格予以排除的"强制情形"例举不细致,对"诈术情形"的证据效力有待明确,被追诉人口供的排除原理亟需完善,取证禁止规定亟需更高位阶的人权法规范引导,特殊情形下非法言词证据的证据能力仍需补充等五大改革局限。面对这些制度局限,进一步的对策、变革与完善仍值得期待。     

论我国非法口供排除规则的再完善——以非法口供证明力的阻断为视角

我国目前的非法口供排除规则仅能从形式上排除非法口供,非法口供实质上已经通过庭前案卷移送预先进入审判者的视线,并最终对案件事实的认定发挥重要作用。同时,非法口供排除规则对是否排除“重复自白”和以非法口供为线索取得的物证是否排除没有规定。这些问题都会影响非法口供排除规则能否达到彻底排除的效果,因此有必要从证明力的角度对非法口供进行研究,并对我国非法口供排除规则进行再完善。     

论可补救的排除规则

中国证据排除规则宜称为"可补救的排除规则",补救与排除的对象包括瑕疵证据与非法证据。证据的补救方式包括补正、证据重作(重新取证)、补强或印证、合理解释等。非法证据和瑕疵证据都具有补救可能性,但两者在补救与排除的顺序、补救的侧重点、难度方面存在较大差异。对于非法证据,应当贯彻"先排除后补救"的原则,对于有补救条件的,则应当通过证据重作的方式补救其内容。对于瑕疵证据,则应当贯彻"先补救后排除"的原则,主要是采用补正、补强或印证、合理解释等方式,使其具有形式上的完整性和合法性,对于不能补救的,也应当予以排除。     

合法与非法之间——以两个《规定》对瑕疵证据的立场为切入点

合法证据、非法证据、瑕疵证据之间存在着较为复杂的逻辑关系.瑕疵证据是对证据表现形式的一种事实判断,有瑕疵的证据是法律效力待定的证据.以两个《规定》为依据正确厘定我国瑕疵证据的内涵和外延,有助于正确解决瑕疵证据的证据资格问题.两个《规定》将能否对瑕疵证据进行补正或者合理解释作为其是否具有证据资格的标尺.两个《规定》对待和处理瑕疵证据的立场具有理论上的合理性和现实的可行性.但同时要注意避免由于补正和解释权力滥用所导致的瑕疵证据合法性转化的随意性,以及可能衍生的非法证据排除规则被虚置的局面发生.     

Jurors’ reactions to recanted confessions: Do the defendant's personal and dispositional characteristics play a role?

Abstract

Confession evidence presented at trial is extremely damaging to the defense. This study examines the impact of a recanted confession on jurors’ perceptions of a murder case in which the defendant claimed to have falsely confessed due either to an underlying medical condition, a psychological disorder, or the general stress of the interrogation. Also included were an inadmissible confession condition and a no-confession control condition. Results showed that the impact of the confession was mediated in part by the circumstances surrounding it. Although probability-of-commission estimates were as high in all of the conditions involving a confession, conviction rates were marginally higher when the disputed confession involved mental illness or interrogation-induced stress than when there was no confession, yet did not differ when the disputed confession involved a medical disorder or there was no confession. These findings show that not all recanted confessions are treated equally and that people selectively discount confessions depending on biases and beliefs they hold.     

美国刑法中的重罪谋杀罪规则评析

重罪谋杀罪是英美刑法中比较特殊,并引起很多批评和质疑的罪名。目前,美国大部分州的刑法仍保留有该罪名,但其适用范围和条件受到越来越多的限制,实际上被限于在实施重罪过程中故意或过失造成死亡结果的情形。由于该罪名的设置仍具有一些积极意义且限制了适用范围,尽管存在比较严厉的批评之声,但绝大多数州的刑法仍然保留了重罪谋杀罪规则,短期内没有被废除的迹象。     

Self-Reported False Confessions and False Guilty Pleas among Offenders with Mental Illness

Persons with mental illness may be at risk for false admissions to police and to prosecutors because of the defining characteristics of mental illness, but potentially because of heightened recidivism rates and increased opportunities. We surveyed 1,249 offenders with mental disorders from six sites about false confessions (FCs) and false guilty pleas (FGPs). Self-reports of FC ranged from 9 to 28%, and FGPs ranged from 27 to 41% depending upon site. False admissions to murder and rape were rarely reported. We also examined differences between those claiming false admissions and those not. Minorities, offenders with lengthier criminal careers, and those who were more symptomatic were more likely to have self-reported false admissions than their counterparts.     

Homicide as a cause of the sudden infant death syndrome

The homicidal asphyxiation of a 10 1/2-month-old male infant and the attempted asphyxiation of his 4-month-old sibling, documented by parental confession, is presented as evidence that murder may sometimes be mistaken as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). A review of the literature of the relationship between murder and SIDS deaths reveals the suspicions of some physicians but few published cases; this reflects not only the difficulties of making a determination of murder by suffocation, since no injuries may be present, but also a lack of awareness among physicians who must evaluate infant deaths. It is recommended that murder should be considered in the differential diagnosis of sudden, unexpected death in infants and that the autopsy should include full-body x-rays and at least an initial look at the social history of the child.     

The role of victim characteristics in the disposition of murder cases

Using data from prosecutors' files in a sample of 33 U.S. counties, we examine how victims' conduct and victims' demographic characteristics affect the disposition of murder cases at various stages of the criminal justice process. We find that victims' age and past conduct do not significantly influence legal outcomes in murder cases, but their race, gender, and conduct at the time of the incident do so. Although these effects vary across the criminal justice decision-making stages considered, they generally are consistent with the claim that killings of disreputable or stigmatized victims tend to be treated more leniently. We also find some evidence that the effects of victim characteristics are stronger in jury proceedings than in bench proceedings, and that the influence of a victim's race on the disposition of murder cases is conditioned by the racial composition of the county in which the case is processed.     

Legal Responses and Sentencing in Murder Cases – A Comparison of Law and Judicial Reactions in India and Germany

While there are huge cultural, social and socio-legal differences between India and Germany, the sentencing laws of the two countries show a couple of similarities. In India and Germany alike, the substantive law makes only little specifications for the sentencing process. There are no sub-statutory sentencing guidelines, within the range provided by the penal codes the courts have a wide discretion in the sentencing process. It is, however, interesting to see that the courts exercise their discretion in similar ways which can specifically be observed in murder cases. The article describes the legal framework which is applicable in murder cases in India and Germany and compares the judicial decisions in selected cases: hold-up murder, sexually motivated murder, domestic violence killings and honor killings. The comparison gives evidence of the communicative function of punishment. After a serious crime like murder the public – typically well informed by the media, agitated and highly troubled – will in both countries only be settled by a judgment considered as fair, just and proportionate. Peace under the law and internal security, however, do not seem to be dependent on specific forms of punishment. Capital punishment and life imprisonment appear as penalties which may be necessary reactions to murder in a given cultural context, but which are not indispensable to a criminal justice system.     

精神病杀人的行为特征与刑事责任能力评定的影响因素

目的探讨精神病凶杀行为特征，分析精神病杀人责任能力评定的影响因素。方法对2002年至2006年72例进行司法鉴定的凶杀案件资料分项列表调查，所得数据用SPSS11．0统计软件对神病杀人的行为特征与刑事责任能力评定影响因素进行相关分析。结果作案行为特征以地点、动机、罪错认识、行为隐蔽性、潜逃、自我保护与责任能力评定结果显著相关；暴力作案刑事责任能力评定量表与々家鉴定结论之间有较高的一致性。结论对凶杀案件行为特征的综合分析，町作为责任能力评定的客观参考依据；暴力作案刑事责任能力评定量表的应用为责任能力评定提供了，相对可靠的客观依据。     

An Analysis of the Effects of Subjective and Objective Instruction Forms on Mock-Juries' Murder/Manslaughter Distinctions

Defendants' emotions at the time of their crimes may potentially serve as mitigating circumstances in murder/manslaughter cases. The present study examined whether differences between two forms of instructions given juries in such cases affected mock-juries' murder/manslaughter distinctions. Jurors' reasons for their verdicts and definitions of murder and manslaughter were also compared. In addition, three factors found to be predictive of murder/manslaughter distinctions in previous research were evaluated. It was found that, though instruction forms affected jurors' stated reasons for their verdicts and their definitions of murder and manslaughter, they did not significantly affect murder/manslaughter distinctions. Defendants were most likely to be convicted of murder if they had a history of violence with the victim and dwelt upon their emotions. We suggest jurors likely construe instructions given them to fit their a priori understandings of murder, manslaughter, and the potentially mitigating role of defendants' emotions.     

Serial killers with military experience: applying learning theory to serial murder

Scholars have endeavored to study the motivation and causality behind serial murder by researching biological, psychological, and sociological variables. Some of these studies have provided support for the relationship between these variables and serial murder. However, the study of serial murder continues to be an exploratory rather than explanatory research topic. This article examines the possible link between serial killers and military service. Citing previous research using social learning theory for the study of murder, this article explores how potential serial killers learn to reinforce violence, aggression, and murder in military boot camps. As with other variables considered in serial killer research, military experience alone cannot account for all cases of serial murder. Future research should continue to examine this possible link.     

How Strong Is Public Support for the Death Penalty in Singapore?

Singapore is well known internationally for its uncompromising stance towards law and order and its use of the death penalty in particular for murder and drug trafficking. Until 2012, it was one of the few countries in the world where the death penalty was mandatory for persons convicted of these two crimes. The law was amended in 2012 to give a judge the choice to impose the death penalty or life imprisonment (with caning) for non-intentional murder and drug trafficking in some situations. What do Singaporeans think of the use of the death penalty in their own country? This article reports on some findings of a survey conducted in 2016 on 1500 Singaporeans to assess their knowledge and support of the death penalty.