The Economics of Cruel and Unusual Punishment

It has sometimes been argued that one way to reduce the costs of law enforcement would be to reduce the probability of detection and conviction (hence saving those costs), while at the same time increasing the size of the punishment. Following this strategy would keep the expected costs (to a risk neutral criminal) of committing a crime constant and hence keep the deterrence level constant; it would have the benefit, though, of reducing costs to the rest of society.There are some well-known objections to such a policy. One such objection deals with marginal deterrence: A convicted murderer serving a life sentence with no chance of parole in a jurisdiction which bans capital punishment has nothing to lose from killing a prison guard—there is no marginal deterrence to the commission of a more serious crime or any additional crime for that matter. In fact, so long as there remains any upper limit to the amount of punishment that can be inflicted upon a convicted criminal, the only ways to create some type of marginal deterrence are to reduce the punishments for less serious crimes, which will either reduce the deterrence of those less serious crimes, or alternatively to require the use of more of society's scarce resources to increase the probabilities of apprehension and conviction.It is possible to reduce this marginal deterrence problem, however, by practicing cruel and unusual punishment on perpetrators of serious crimes, i.e. by raising the limits of allowable punishment. Anecdotal evidence suggests this practice is followed unofficially with child molesters and killers of prison guards and hence provides some additional deterrence against these crimes.Despite the theoretical validity of this argument, our society has chosen to impose a constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Furthermore, over time we seem to have lowered the threshold of what is considered cruel and unusual. Following Dr. Pangloss, the concluding section of the paper examines why rational maximizers would choose to give up this additional potential deterrence. The explanations depend upon an assumed positive income elasticity of demand for humanitarianism or for insurance against the costs of punishing the innocent. While there are some reasons to accept the humanitarianism argument, the insurance argument seems more persuasive.     

Optimal Law Enforcement with Dissemination of Information

In this paper we discuss the implications of introducing imperfect information on the optimal law enforcement literature. We assume that individuals can be imperfectly informed about the probability of apprehension and about the sanction.Imperfect information about the probability and the sanction might pose a problem to criminal deterrence. If that is the case, there are clear incentives to disseminate information about law enforcement (probability and severity of sanction). However, note that individuals also have incentives to buy information about law enforcement: they may erroneously decide to become criminals (because they have underestimated the expected sanction) or they may erroneously decide not to become criminals (because they have overestimated the expected sanction).This paper proposed that it is optimal to complement criminal punishment with some disclosure of information.     

Short‐ versus long‐term effects of Ohio's switch to more structured sentencing on extralegal disparities in prison sentences in an urban court*

Research Summary The impact of Ohio's presumptive guidelines on sentencing disparities was examined for one of the state's largest jurisdictions to determine whether the switch to more structured sentencing in 1996 had any enduring effects. Sentencing patterns were examined both before and shortly after the 1996 reform, as well as 9 years later. Findings revealed weaker race and marital status effects on imprisonment under guidelines versus stronger age effects, no changes in disparities based on a defendant's sex and means of support, and (virtually) no changes in the magnitude of legally relevant effects. Policy Implications Ohio's guidelines are more flexible relative to other guideline schemes, possibly accounting for the general stability in effects across regimes. Ohio has since transitioned to voluntary guidelines, which raised concerns that the change will yield higher levels of sentencing disparities. Findings suggest that the transition may coincide with no changes in legal effects, yet with greater disparities based on a defendant's race and marital status.     

A Note on Optimal Law Enforcement under Asymmetric Information

We show that the probability of apprehension and punishment is usually reduced in a framework with asymmetric information, leading to more offenses being committed. A positive correlation between crime and asymmetry of information in the enforcement process is established. Some suggestions concerning the efficiency of private versus public enforcement are drawn.     

Influences on the Prisoner Rate: Number of Entries into Prison, Length of Sentences and Crime Rate

On the basis of the data contained in the European Sourcebook, this article tries to answer the question: 'What influences the prisoner rate most? The number of entries into prison, the length of sentences, or the crime rate?' The authors show that the crime rate is absolutely not correlated with the prisoner rate. The latter depends principally on the length of the imposed custodial sanctions and secondly on the number of those imposed prison sentences. Nevertheless, there are some indications suggesting that these results could be different from one type of offence to another. Unfortunately, this hypothesis could not be tested on the basis of the European Sourcebook data.     

Deterrence and delinquency: An analysis of individual data

Is commission of crime deterred by fear of arrest? Individual self-reported data on the commission of three crimes are analyzed in relation to perceived probabilities of arrest for more than 3000 French-speaking teenagers of the Montreal school population in 1974. The crimes are shoplifting, drug use, and stealing an item worth more than $50.00. In addition to the effect of the individuals' perceptions of the probability of arrest for the three crimes, age, sex, and previous arrest record are also taken into account. The data are all categorical. A multivariate log-linear probability model is estimated in order to test hypotheses concerning the direction and magnitude of bivariate associations among the variables. We conclude that there is clear evidence of a negative association between the subjective probability of arrest for each crime and the frequency of commission of that crime. We also find some negative cross-effects of the perceptions of the probability of arrest for one type of crime on the commission of another, holding constant the direct effects.     

Preliminary Data on the Role of Emotional Intelligence in Mediating the Relationship Between Psychopathic Characteristics and Detention Terms of Property Offenders

We present preliminary data on the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in mediating the relationship between psychopathy and detention term of authors of property crimes. We assumed that the detention term is an approximation of the severity of criminal behavior. A sample of 24 property offenders were individually administered a brief anamnestic interview, the Psychopathic Personality Inventory—Revised (PPI‐R), and the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Information concerning the detention term was obtained from prison records. A mediation model was applied to the data showing that offenders high in psychopathic traits (i.e., total PPI‐R score and Self‐centered dimension of PPI‐R) have a low level of ability EI and this is in turn negatively associated with the duration of their prison sentence. Results encourage the investigation of ability EI as a protective factor against the antisocial outcomes of psychopathic disorder.     

我国新型监狱体制改革的思考和探索

建国以来,我国的监狱管理体制一直沿用"监企社合一"的模式,随着改革开放的深入和市场经济的发展,这种监狱管理模式已经不能完成其所担负的职能,弊端日益显现,监狱体制改革势在必行。监狱体制改革的目标是逐步实现"全额保障、监企分开、收支分开、规范运行",建立公正、文明、廉洁、高效的新型监狱管理体制。     

量刑的理论与实践研究——量刑基准的确立

同样性质、同样情节、同样后果的犯罪,受到不同的处罚,必然会引起人们对法律公正的怀疑,动摇人们对法律的信仰和信心.量刑的公正应当体现在不同个案的相互比较中.刑法规定的法定量刑情节需要一个参照基准,应在假定不考虑犯罪人的具体法定量刑情节的基础上,考虑犯罪人所有的与犯罪有关的全部犯罪细节包括酌定情节,抽象地确定这一犯罪应当适用的基准刑罚,再在此基础上,考虑量刑的法定情节,对基准刑罚进行适当的调整.目前需要做的工作是在立法方面进一步细化法定刑范围,通过司法解释进一步明确量刑标准,承认案例的指导作用.     

论量刑精确制导

我国《刑法》第5条既是刑法的基本原则,也是量刑公正的一般标准,它要求量刑精确制导,最大限度地避免刑罚误差。实现量刑精确制导的根本出路是理论创新和方法创新,这主要表现在三个方面:(1)依法构建量刑标尺,将法定刑空间划分为200个刻度,把其中各种刑罚折算或者虚拟为有期徒刑的月数,明确1个刻度所体现的不同性质刑罚的度量,用以计算刑罚的轻重程度;(2)在正确定罪并找准法定刑的前提下,理性评价犯罪人具有的量刑情节,将其所反映的社会危害程度和人身危险程度用一定数值(积分)表示,借以计算行为人罪责的大小程度;(3)将量刑情节的轻重积分与量刑空间的轻重刻度按"1∶1"的标准相对应,前者在相应量刑空间中的读数,便是量刑公正的最佳适度。     

论公安监所深挖

监管场所尤其是看守所,因其监管对象的特殊性而被称为违法犯罪的"信息源"和"资料库",但这座信息库长期以来都未被真正开启。近年来,"侦审合一"、"监所归口管理"等公安职能的调整,使得各地公安监管部门开始思考、探索深挖犯罪等职能,监所深挖工作在全国监管系统迅速开展。监所深挖是新时期公安监所工作的一个重要组成部分,也是一项长期性、综合性的侦查措施和基础性业务工作,应根据其特点和优势,总结监所深挖的一般方法和机制建设。     

The role of criminal record in the federal sentencing guidelines

In this paper my concern is with the collective moral responsibility of criminal investigators for the outcomes of their investigations, bearing in mind that it is important to distinguish collective moral responsibility from, and relate it to, individual moral responsibility. In what sense, if any, are police detectives individually and collectively morally responsible for their success (or, for that matter, their failure) in gathering sufficient evidence to identify, arrest, and charge an offender who has committed a serious crime? Alternatively, in what sense are they morally responsible in cases where they identify, arrest, and charge an innocent person? And in what sense, if any, are police detectives individually and collectively morally responsible for the ultimate outcome of the trial, the finding by the courts of someone they have investigated and charged with a serious crime to be guilty or innocent?     

平等机会委员会与平等权利保护——香港的经验

平等权是宪法所确认的公民的基本权利,但由于平等问题的复杂性,平等权利保护面临着诸多困境。探讨在中国建立一种以实现社会公正为目的,以接受市民反歧视投诉为手段,以非司法性方法解决平等权纠纷并结合宣传、教育、法律协助等综合职能的平等权利保障机构的可能性,具有重要的意义。分析香港平等机会委员会运作的优势与不足,中国大陆可以在如下几个方面有所借鉴:制定统一的、更富操作性的反歧视立法;建立反歧视立法的执行机构;建立该机构与立法、行政、司法三机关之间的合理联系;注重反歧视投诉机制的合理性和科学性。     

完善我国死刑复核法律监督制度——收回死刑复核权的后续配套改革

随着最高人民法院收回死刑复核权、死刑二审实现全面开庭审理,不仅法院面临着一系列程序改革问题,而且检察机关也面临着严峻的挑战,比如检察机关是否应当参与死刑复核程序,检察机关如何对死刑复核程序进行法律监督等。无论从权力制约理论的要求,还是从实现司法公正、维护司法权威的角度讲,我国检察机关都应当参与死刑复核程序,履行法律监督职责。为此,应当从检察机关的内设机构、人员编制、监督程序等方面,完善我国检察机关的死刑复核法律监督制度。     

论完善对监狱行刑的监督

监狱是自由刑行刑的主要场所。基于刑罚的目的的二元性,监狱兼有惩罚与矫正的双重行刑目标。同时监狱行刑作为特殊的行政权力,具有被滥用的高危风险。为了完整实现行刑目的,保障服刑人员的权利,各国均对监狱的行刑权力设置了相应监督机制,对极易被滥用的行刑权力进行规制。在我国由于报应观念的深植和行刑个别化社会化色彩不强,尤需借鉴先进经验完善对监狱的监督,以确保罪犯改造的效果和行刑程序公正。     

清末监狱改良思想的现代性

中国监狱改良思想的滥觞与兴起是近代以来的事情.1901年8月刘坤一和张之洞会奏之折以及1902年底赵尔巽关于通设罪犯习艺所的上书开启了中国近代监狱改良的思想之门.随着清末新政的推进与预备立宪的进行,各种监狱改良思想亦随之涌现、渐至兴起并日臻成熟.清末监狱改良思想基本具备了西方狱制思想之现代性.     

对“刑罚的执行”法律定位的学理思考——兼论我国监狱法典的完善

在我国监狱法中 ,刑罚的执行被定位在与狱政管理、教育改造等并列的层次上。本文认为 ,这一定位是报应刑罚思想和新中国行刑领域中的“三位一体”观念的产物 ,很难自圆其说。无论从历史看 ,还是从逻辑看 ,刑罚的执行是狱政管理、教育改造等的上位概念 ,因此 ,监狱法应对刑罚的执行重新定位     

The Economics of Prisons

This survey scans the English language research on prisons published since the appearance of Becker's (1968) seminal piece. After first describing the economic nature of prison and parole, issues concerning comparative institutional analysis and organizational design are discussed, including the role of private prisons. Empirical evidence on production functions for prisons, recidivism and offender rehabilitation programs is reviewed. A brief overview of policy issues and suggestions for future research concludes the survey.     

论报纸必须实施新闻精品战略

本文论述了中国报业必须实施新闻精品战略的两个基本原因,概括了新闻精品之六大基本特征,要求中国报人牢固树立三种新闻精品意识,阐述了记者、编辑在实施新闻精品战略中的重要作用和具体要求,对中国报纸实施新闻精品战略具有一定的理论指导意义。     

试析中国古代狱政文化的基本精神

“仁道”精神与“教化”精神构成了中国古代狱政文化的基本精神，并且在尊重人的生命价值、以同情和怜悯的态度对待监狱行刑及罪犯改造等方面与现代的“人道主义”也有相通之处。这对我们今天建构一种体现人道主义精神的狱政文化也有借鉴意义。