论传播淫秽、色情物品犯罪的刑事立法政策--以无被害人犯罪为视角

在宽严相济的刑事政策背景下,无被害人犯罪的刑事立法应当以"当宽则宽"为基本思路。对于传播淫秽、色情物品犯罪,我国实行全面规制政策,即不区分受众和内容,均严厉打击。由于向自愿接受的成年人散布色情物品并未侵害任何法益,反色情立法受到限制言论自由权的质疑;淫秽性的认定标准模糊,时常面临违背罪刑法定原则的责难;色情物品具有精神补偿作用,色情物品与犯罪、道德败坏没有明显关系。调查显示,多数民众认为现行法律对传播淫秽物品犯罪的处罚过重,因此,传播色情物品应采取区别对待的刑事立法政策,将有被害人的犯罪与无被害人犯罪进行区分。总的来说,禁止向未成年人及不愿接受的成年人散布色情物品,禁止散布硬色情;对向自愿的成人散布软色情的无被害人犯罪采取管理措施。     

美国儿童色情犯罪的法律规范

在美国,色情被视为一种私人表达方式,因此受到联邦宪法第一修正案的规范。1969年,联邦最高法院在斯坦利诉佐治亚州案件(Stanley v.Georgia,394 U.S.557)的裁决中指出,人们可以在自己家中秘密地观看任何他们想要观看的物品。此后,美国掀起了一场反色情运动。1970年代以来,联邦最高法院接连做出一系列重要     

从民事权利 看私有财产保护

中国《1982年宪法》,通过了第四次修正案,第一次明确地将"公民的合法的私有财产不受侵害"纳入到国家根本大法之中.从民事权利的角度看,宪法的原则规定,不能代替普通法律的颁布和实施,为此,我们要从社会意义和法律地位上对私有财产的保扩加以完善,这是现代法治社会的关键所在,也是落实宪法修正案的当务之急.     

美国最高法院"隐私的合理期待"标准之介评

美国宪法第四修正案保护公民不受政府不合理的搜查和扣押的权利.美国最高法院在卡兹诉美国案中,提出了"隐私的合理期待"标准,界定了第四修正案下搜查的含义,并通过公共暴露理论、风险承担理论等学说,阐释了该标准的主、客观要件.美国最高法院确立的理论与判例表明,第四修正案下的隐私权的内涵缺乏自治权和人格权的维度.此种狭义的隐私权也是美国最高法院支持"反毒战争"刑事政策的体现.     

宪法权利体系是怎样发展的?--以美国法为范例的展开:司法创制权利的保护

宪法基本权利是一个开放而非封闭的体系,得益于宪法文本之外权利的司法保护,主要包括人身与经济自由,是法官通过对第十四条修正案正当程序条款采用实质性正当程序的解释而完成的.通过适用不同的审查标准,法院徘徊于谦抑与能动之间.先例规则使司法承认的权利在个案中具有拘束力.美国政府与公众对法官创制非文本自由利益并未给予过多的怀疑,法官只是需要警惕防止在抵制一个专断的过程中形成新的专断.     

"具有报道价值的公共利益"可否阻却临时禁令发布——美国商业秘密案件中的一个备受关注的规则

依据美国《统一商业秘密法》,商业秘密所有人可以向法院申请禁令以阻止他人公开商业秘密,然而依据美国宪法第一修正案,任何人都享有出版(公开)自由权;在商业秘密所有人的经济利益和他人的出版(公开)自由权之间必然存在冲突.借鉴美国法律为了保护宪法第一修正案所赋予的权利而创设的"具有报道价值的公共利益例外"规则,我国商业秘密立法应设置以表达自由来抗辩商业秘密权的条款.     

限制与审查:美国《数字千年版权法》的宪法命运

版权人采取的技术措施限制了作品的传播,与表达自由产生了紧张关系.美国版权法与宪法第一修正案之间的冲突导致在诉讼中版权法经常面临宪法审查的命运.美国《数字千年版权法》(DMCA)规定的规避技术措施涉及的计算机程序是第一修正案中的言论,应受表达自由的保护.DMCA中的“主要”、“实质性”等措辞不属于过度宽泛、模糊笼统而违宪的情形.DMCA是内容中立的法律,适用中度审查标准,没有违反宪法第一修正案.宪法审查中凸显了第三人对被审查对象的看法.我国有必要开创替代性制度,以保障知识产权制度的理性发展.     

"人权"背景下对民诉法修改的几点思考

2004年3月14日,第十届全国人民代表大会第二次会议通过第四次宪法修正案,首次将"人权"概念引入宪法规范,在<中华人民共和国宪法>第二章第三十三条增加一款规定:国家尊重和保护人权.以"人权"人宪作为标志,中国已经在把"人权"从政治概念转化为法律概念的道路上迈出了第一步.     

中外宪法私有财产权之比较——兼议我国财产权的宪法保障与制约

我国第四次宪法修正案通过了关于公民合法私有财产不受侵犯的条款,并规定征用补偿条款,应该说对我国的私有财产的保护具有重大的意义。本文就是以此为切入点,通过比较各国宪法私有财产权保护条款,提出这一条款对我国财产权保护的意义与不足,进而对我国的财产权的宪法保障提出一些建议。     

次贷危机背景下信用评级机构欺诈侵权责任分析

长期以来,由于受宪法第一修正案的保护,评级机构在诉讼中处于有利的地位,对于错误的评级报告并没有承担相应的侵权责任.然而,在次贷衍生品信用评级业务中,评级机构表现出不同于以往的特点,这些特点使其失去了宪法第一修正案的保护特权.依据美国侵权法,评级机构在次贷衍生品中的不实评级已构成欺诈侵权责任,在近期的诉讼中,美国投资者针对评级机构提起的欺诈侵权之诉得到了法院的支持.     

Cyber pornography in India and its implication on cyber café operators

Cyber pornography plays an accessory role in negative social issues such as child abuse, violence against women, rape, inequality, relationship and family breakdown, youth crime, promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases. Cyberspace and the pornographic matter transmitted through it have created challenges for India’s antiquated laws. The lack of jurisdictional boundaries and the sheer volume of traffic that the Internet can handle, as well as the potential for anonymity have resulted in a complete lack of control over what appears on the Web at the click of a mouse button. Before there was no liability of a cyber café owner but with the introduction of the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008, the responsibilities of Cyber Café owners have only increased. This paper deals with the Cyber pornography, its legal implications and the liability of cyber café owner under the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008.     

The failure of british obscenity law in the regulation of pornography

Abstract

Summary: In this paper the author addresses the problem of pornography with particular reference to legal regulation in England and Wales against the wider context of the lack of adequate control of pornography world-wide. This is explored first by an examination of the nature and increasing availability of pornography. Second, is provided a consideration of the competing philosophical and ideological arguments for and against its regulation. Third, is provided a statement of the current legal regulatory mechanisms of control germane to the global dissemination of pornography. Finally, the application and effectiveness of obscenity law in England and Wales is considered.     

Internet subcultures and pathways to the use of child pornography

With continual advances in Internet capability the child pornography market is experiencing a boom in demand and supply. Attempts to reduce the market challenge legislators, law enforcement agencies, practitioners and researchers alike – due in large part to the decentralised and global nature of the Internet. Much research has focused on frequent users of child pornography and whether such behaviour is interrelated with child sexual assaults. This article instead draws attention to onset, the first deliberate viewing of child pornography. It presents the results of a three-month study of a global Peer-to-Peer network, isoHunt. Analysis of the site’s Top 300 search terms indicated that child pornography is consistently shared. Risk factors for onset are discussed, including the potential normalisation of child pornography among Internet subcultures. Strategies are discussed to encourage subcultures to inhibit child pornography use and to increase understanding of the harms associated with such material. Implications for legal systems, policy and research are explored.     

Pornography and the construction of misogyny

Summary

In this paper I return to my work in Pornography: Women, Violence and Civil Liberties, the edited volume published in 1992 by Oxford University Press, and subsequently my work on pornography, harm and human rights (Itzin, 1995, 1996a), and to pornography and child sexual abuse (Itzin, 1996b, 1997a,b, 2000a,b,c). I draw from and build on that work and from the contents of the pornography special issue of the Journal of Sexual Aggression (Itzin and Cox, 2000). This paper covers key issues such as legislation and regulation, censorship' and ‘freedom’, the literature on pornography effects, the role of pornography in the aetiology of sex offending and in the construction of desire. In particular, the paper is concerned with theorising aetiology, causality and the ‘epistemology of public policy’ on pornography. It draws from and builds on the scholarship and activism of radical feminism in conceptualising and campaigning against pornography-related harm.     

Distinguishing the viewers,downloaders, and exchangers of Internet child pornography by individual differences: Preliminary findings

The current study assessed the relationship between personality and cognitive differences and the respondents' level of engagement in child pornography (searching for/viewing, downloading, or exchanging). 273 respondents completed the anonymous online survey; 257 respondents (94%) were classified as non-child pornography consumers, and 16 respondents (6%) were classified as Internet child pornography consumers. When only considering the child pornography users, 63% (n = 10) were categorized as searchers/viewers, 18.5% (n = 3) were categorized as downloaders, and 18.5% (n = 3) were categorized as exchangers. When discriminating between child pornography consumers, those individuals who only searched for and viewed child pornography were less extraverted than those individuals who reported exchanging Internet child pornography. Higher scores on extraversion may reflect the offender's ability to socially network on the Internet in order to gain access to child pornography (i.e., exchanging/sharing). Significant correlations also suggested a relationship between child pornography behaviors, conscientiousness, and excitement-seeking. Future research suggestions and limitations are discussed.     

High road in regulating online child pornography in South Africa

Online child pornography is a repulsive reality which cannot be ignored; the biggest child pornography manufacturing ring in South African history was cracked with the arrest of eight family members. There are more than 116 000 Internet searches daily for child pornography. Pornography is no longer confined to consenting adults, children are not only being exposed to pornographic material but are increasingly being used as victims of child pornography. In South Africa, the Internet and Cell phone Pornography Bill tabled in 2010 aims to make it illegal for Internet and mobile phone service providers to distribute pornography or permit it to be distributed. The objective of the Bill is to protect children from child pornography and women from the indignity of being seen as objects of pornography. This paper takes as its focal point the continuing crisis which centres on the conceptual framework, the existing legislation regulating online child pornography and measures to curb infringement.     

All part of the process? A qualitative examination of change in online child pornography behaviors

Over the past two decades, there has been increased attention on offending behaviors and motivations of child pornography offenders (CPOs). Although existing research has provided a knowledgeable foundation in regard to this offending subpopulation, the literature has been relatively limited on examining changes in offender behaviors and motivations. This study used interviews with 25 online CPOs in a southern state to identify themes underlying offending behaviors and motives at onset, as well as, continuation of offending over time. We found that offenders reported various circumstances (ranging from intentional to unintentional) and motivations (including thrill-seeking and attraction) at onset; however, CPOs reported thrill-seeking and attraction to be the most common factors driving their continued offending. We applied these themes to the existing literature on child pornography offending and recommended directions for future research. Based on our findings, we offered considerations for the treatment of CPOs.     

The three dimensions of online child pornography offending

Abstract

The internet has opened up opportunities for non-contact sex offending, such as the viewing of child pornography. This paper proposes a model for the classification of child pornography offenders as an aid for their assessment and treatment, deducted from empirical studies and existing typologies for child pornography offenders. Different subgroups of child pornography offenders may be described according to three dimensions: (1) type of offending, (2) the motivation behind child pornography offending and (3) the situational and social engagement in the offending behaviour. Distinct pathways of child pornography offending can be identified, related to differing criminogenic needs, severity of offending, and appropriate assessment and treatment strategies for the offenders.     

‘Welcome to the rape camp’: Sexual exploitation and the internet in cambodia

Abstract

Summary: This article reports a piece of original research into the links between the trafficking in women and children across the globe and how such trafficking practices have been facilitated by developments in technology and telecommunications. The connections between prostitution in the Mekong Sub-Region, pornography on the Internet, and sex tourism have also been researched, based on the experiences of women and children and the men who exploit them.     

The internet and offending behaviour: A case study

Abstract

Summary: The COPINE Project at the Department of Applied Psychology, seeks to address children's vulnerability in relation to the Internet and child pornography. As part of the project, offenders convicted of downloading such images have been interviewed. This paper considers existing models of offender behaviour alongside literature relating to Internet use. A single case study is used to illustrate a process-focused model of offending, using interview material to demonstrate how the offender represented and accounted for his behaviour. The offender in question had no history of engaging in sexual behaviour with actual children, but his case illustrated many of the stages described by offenders in their involvement with pornography, including: setting events, engagement, collecting behaviour, and the emergence of relationships.