Understanding judicial discretion

The main aim of this paper is to clarify the dispute over judicial discretion by distinguishing the different senses in which claims about judicial discretion can be understood and by examining the arguments for these various interpretations. Three different levels of dispute need to be recognized. The first concerns whether judges actually do exercise discretion, the second involves whether judges are entitled to exercise discretion, and the third is about the proper institutional role of judges. In this context, the views of Dworkin, Raz, Perry, Greenawalt, and Sartorius are examined. Finally, it is suggested that a resolution of the judicial discretion controversy requires a satisfactory theory of the justification of judicial decisions.     

Causal attribution and judicial discretion

An important need of the criminal justice system is to better understand and structure discretionary decisions, thereby minimizing their adverse effects. The present study explored the relevance of models of attribution processes to these goals by analysing judges' verbal statements in real courtroom settings. Results reveal that these models are useful in studying discretion and that the method is a fruitful component of a multimethodological approach to studying both attribution and discretion. The importance of both developing and testing models in real life contexts was stressed.The authors thank Janice Bryan and Patsi Roberts for their help in data collection.     

廉政建设视野下的行政处罚自由裁量权之规范

滥用行政处罚自由裁量权是一种符合腐败要件的行为。滥用行政处罚自由裁量权已经成为当前执法过程中腐败行为的重要表现。对行政处罚自由裁量权的规范,应当坚持合法、合理和公开三项基本原则,并采取细化裁量标准、约束裁量空间、增强裁量刚性、加强对执法人员的教育、建立监督制度、落实枉法裁量的法律责任、加强对自由裁量权的程序控制等具体措施。     

Statutory discretion and procedural control of the European commission's executive functions

By delegating powers and designing administrative procedures, ministers of the Council, the legislators of the European Union, shape the boundaries of the EU administration. This article uses theories of executive politics to test the factors that affect the degree of statutory discretion delegated by the Council to the Commission in secondary legislation. It suggests that discretion increases with (1) the uncertainty facing legislators, (2) the convergence of preferences between the Commission and the pivotal legislator, (3) the use of qualified majority, and (4) policies that require limited involvement of national administrations. It also tests whether discretion is positively correlated with the stringency of procedural control. The article employs regression analysis and co‐graduation tests on a sample of legislation and concludes that uncertainty, policy types and informal decision rules are statistically and substantively relevant in explaining discretion. Discretion is also significantly correlated with the stringency of control.     

行政裁量权的诉权分析

规范行政裁量权需要通过诉权对行政裁量的内容进行控制。本文认为,通过诉权对行政裁量的控制,具有理论的基础与实践的优越性。但司法权对行政权的审查应保持一定的限度,不能对行政权过分干涉。因此,在司法实践中,法官应该对行政裁量的合理性进行审查。     

Sentencing rationales, judicial discretion, and the practice of criminal fines in Israel

Much attention has been paid over the last three decades to the examination of the criminal fine, its administration, enforcement policies, and effectiveness. Yet, one research topic has often been overlooked: the link between sentencing rationales, judiciary discretion, and fining policy. The present research, based upon ninety hours of phenomenological semi-structured interviews undertaken in a random sample of forty active Israeli magistrates, six hundred verdicts, and quantitative data regarding the fining policy in Israel, analyzed the degree of harmony/disparity between these variables. The main findings revealed lack of confidence in the ability of the criminal fine to successfully achieve different penal objectives, scarcity of knowledge of actual fining administration procedures, and a high degree of harmony between fining rationales and ideology.     

Some factors in police discretion and decision making

This is a study of the exercise of police discretion as indicated by the responses of police recruits to a series of ambiguous, but common incidents. The situations are ambiguous in that they do not call for a clear course of action. The study measures the influence on the use of discretion of certain factors characterizing the police officers and the incidents themselves. The key finding is that the recruits most often seem to impose their own brand of justice based upon their judgement of what the community's expectations of the appropriate police response are. This judgement is most influenced by the accumulation of experience or “street wisdom”.     

法官独立--司法公正之根本前提和司法独立应有之义

法官独立乃司法独立应有之意,对于保障司法公正意义重大.针对目前法官权利、义务不一致,法官权利被侵犯的事情时有发生,重新审视现有法律、法规对于司法独立的规定极为必要.为此,恢复司法独立的本来涵义,从制度上真正实现法官的身份独立、实质独立、外部独立、内部独立,对于加强和改善党的领导,构筑和谐、公正的社会主义社会意义重大.因为只有公正的社会才可能是和谐的社会.     

Some determinants of internal judicial independence: A comparative study of the courts in Chile,Peru and Ecuador

This article explores the primary determinants of internal judicial independence in three Latin American countries. Considering the relative absence of research focused on this dimension of judicial life, this article is innovative in demonstrating how it is affected by two variables: the quality of judges' training and respect for their judicial careers as criteria for promotions or transfers. While these variables explain why some countries enjoy greater internal judicial independence than others, this article also shows – contrary to popular wisdom – that judicial activism does not have a strong influence on internal judicial independence. Conducting a comparison of the courts in Chile, Peru, and Ecuador using surveys and semi-structured interviews, this study also shows that judges' autonomy from politicians does not necessarily follow the same path as the lower-court judges' independence from their hierarchical superiors.     

依法、独立、公正--我国司法改革的价值目标与实现途径

依法、独立、公正地行使审判权和检察权是我国司法改革的价值目标 ,三者之间具有密切的联系。依法是实现独立、公正的前提和基础 ,独立是手段和方式 ,公正是司法的内在价值追求。实现上述目标 ,必须改革政治体制 ,完善司法制度 ,健全制约机制 ,强化法制统一。