Use of the Polygraph in Combating Crime

The current legal provisions directing the struggle against organized crime, the low technical level of investigative equipment, the investigators' extremely heavy work load, and the "procedural routines" necessary in gathering evidence obstruct any improvement in the environment that gives rise to crime. This requires the use of nontraditional (most often, nonprocedural) methods of criminal investigation. Thus there is an urgent need to update the guidelines that govern the use of such methods by law-enforcement agencies. In particular, a number of laws have been enacted allowing the admissibility as evidence of the products not only of video recordings and still and motion-picture cameras, but of other technical tools as well.     

The prediction and control of organized crime: A risk assessment instrument for targeting law enforcement efforts

Linking isolated instances of organized crime in a systematic way can inform law enforcement in identifying high-risk activities and markets and prioritizing them according to objective factors known to be associated with organized crime. There are five ways in which risk assessment organized crime can be achieved. Improvements to data collection, utilizing a team approach to gather information, identifying common elements in organized crime incidents, understanding the parameters of a risk assessment instrument, and connecting organized crime risk assessment to the implementation of law and policy are practical ways in which organized crime activity can be better anticipated, investigated, and prevented. Connecting isolated incidents to organized crime through better information from offenders, victims, and police is possible with teams of investigators, researchers, and analysts. An organized crime risk assessment tool is presented that offers systematic analysis of opportunity factors, the criminal environment, and harm potential among the seventeen risk factors identified. Risk assessment can be used to evaluate the influence of organized crime in local jurisdictions, and the impact of new laws and policies that affect commerce and criminal opportunities.     

循私舞弊不移交刑事案件罪的主体认定

准确认定犯罪主体,是追究犯罪行为人刑事责任的基础。对循私舞弊不移交刑事案件罪的犯罪主体的认定,因行政执法的复杂性,使刑法理论和实践上均存有较大的争议。从微观结构上,本罪主体资格内在的逻辑构成要素可分为身份要素、事实要素和权力要素三个方面事实特征,据此以准确认定本罪的犯罪主体。     

附属刑法:实现刑法参与国家治理的有效形式

目前我国立法机关存在将有关行政法等部门法律直接引向犯罪的趋势。这不仅导致了附属刑法的弱化,甚至使附属刑法的作用被忽视,还对我国司法实务的操作造成了不便,将本不该由刑法规制的行为错误地划分为犯罪。为了解决这个问题,有学者开始关注我国并不存在的附属刑法。附属刑法本身具有实现维系刑法典稳定、衔接刑法与各部门法、为刑法提供持续性保证的功能。其具有实在内容、又以刑法典为基础和本源,故附属刑法是可以修正刑法典并达到刑法对社会治理作用的有效形式。     

Organized crime in three regions: comparing the Veneto, Liverpool, and Chicago

This paper studies organized crime in three regions, the Veneto in Northern Italy, Liverpool in England, and Chicago in the United States. Data were gathered from published reports, government documents, and field observation. Case studies were then compiled describing organized crime in each area. The findings suggest that various jurisdictions define organized crime differently. These different definitions correspond to the nature of organized crime in each locality. In spite of these differences, however, there is consensus about the use of the term mafia. Groups that are defined as mafias generally exercise some degree of political influence in their areas of operation. Additionally, criminal groups that began as adolescent gangs retain the gang classification even after they move into drug trafficking and other organized criminal activities. These findings suggest important distinctions between organized criminal groups and improve our understanding of the term organized crime.     

Nigeria

Conclusion Organized crime activities flourish in Nigeria because law enforcement is weak or nonexistent at all levels. The police were corrupt even before organized crime emerged in its present form in Nigeria. Since “corruption is necessary for the successful operation of organized crime,”⁹⁴ the structure and operation of the Nigerian police, together with the activities of corrupt heads of state and corrupt politicians, made Nigeria fertile ground for organized crime. When those who make the laws and those who enforce the law are shamelessly corrupt, then the entire society is cor-rupted. These leaders are supposed to be the role models of the younger generations in Nigeria. Instead, they represent what Gresham Sykes and David Matza have termed the “appeal to higher loyalty”—a technique for rationalization of wrongs by under-privileged elements of Nigerian society who willingly engage in criminal activity.     

有组织犯罪的几个理论问题

有组织犯罪的研究是当今学界的热门话题。探讨有组织犯罪的概念和特征十分重要。目前我国有组织犯罪的立法尚需完善 ,刑法总则应当明确规定有组织犯罪的总体概念、外延及其类型 ,增设黑社会组织犯罪的法条 ,行刑制度中应增设对有组织犯罪首要分子判处1 0年有期徒刑以上的 ,不得适用假释的规定 ,刑法分则应提高有组织犯罪的法定刑 ,增设对有组织犯罪财产刑的适用并加大财产刑的处罚力度 ,增加对参加有组织犯罪的国家机关工作人员从重处罚的规定。     

Forensic drug intelligence: an important tool in law enforcement

Organised criminality is a great concern for national/international security. The demonstration of complex crimes is increasingly dependant on knowledge distributed within law-enforcement agencies and scientific disciplines. This separation of knowledge creates difficulties in reconstructing and prosecuting such crimes. Basic interdisciplinary research in drug intelligence combined with crime analysis, forensic intelligence, and traditional law enforcement investigation is leading to important advances in crime investigation support. Laboratory results constitute one highly dependable source of information that is both reliable and testable. Their operational use can support investigation and even provide undetected connections or organisation of structure. The foremost difficulties encountered by drug analysts are not principally of a chemical or analytical nature, but methodologies to extract parameters or features that are deemed to be crucial for handling and contextualising drug profiling data. An organised memory has been developed in order to provide accurate, timely, useful and meaningful information for linking spatially and temporally distinct events on a national and international level (including cross-border phenomena). Literature has already pointed out that forensic case data are amenable for use in an intelligence perspective if data and knowledge of specialised actors are appropriately organised, shared and processed. As a particular form of forensic case data, the authors' research focuses on parameters obtained through the systematic physical and chemical profiling of samples of illicit drugs. The procedure is used to infer and characterise links between samples that originate from the same and different seizures. The discussion will not, however, focus on how samples are actually analysed and compared as substantial literature on this topic already exists. Rather, attention is primarily drawn to an active and close collaboration between magistrates, forensic scientists, law enforcement investigators and crime analysts from different institutions with the aim of generating, using and validating relevant profiling case data as integral part of investigative and crime analysis processes. Original advances are highlighted through experiences from criminal investigations of offences related to the unlawful importation, exportation, supply and possession of illicit drugs.     

国际航空犯罪法人刑事责任及其国内立法转化研究

2010年《北京公约》和《北京议定书》首次规定了国际航空犯罪法人责任,法人责任以法人的高级管理人员代表法人实施劫持航空器等国际航空犯罪为要件,法人为此承担刑事、民事或行政责任。公约对法人犯罪及其责任的立法需要转化为国内法才能适用。世界各国国内法对法人犯罪及其责任的态度差别较大,英国、加拿大、法国等国刑法规定有航空犯罪的法人刑事责任,德国国内法规定有航空犯罪的法人行政责任,意大利刑法规定有航空犯罪的法人民事责任,我国仅在个别航空犯罪中规定有法人犯罪及其刑事责任。我国法人犯罪及其刑事责任的立法和理论具有较强的包容性,可在我国刑法中取消法人犯罪法定化限制,全面规定包括航空犯罪在内的法人犯罪及其刑事责任。     

A behavioral model for Ukrainian organized crime groups

Ukrainian organized crime operates like any social group existing in relation to other institutions in society. The specifics of criminal group behavior in Ukraine are governed by strict norms and standards which have developed over many decades. The 'thieves idea,' promoting brotherhood and superiority among members of criminal groups, was cultivated by convicts and peasants as far back as pre-Soviet Ukraine. The infrastructure of these groups, their organization and leadership, and methods for criminal activities are all determined by customs and rules unique to Ukraine. Using statistical analysis, a case study of one organized criminal group, and collective interviews with various law enforcement officials, this study attempts to determine the prevalence of traditions and the nature of group dynamics in organized crime.     

Involvement mechanisms for organized crime

This study aims to illuminate the processes that make individuals engage in organized crime activities. Within the diversity of individual involvement processes, several distinctive mechanisms are discussed. Theoretical ideas are illustrated by empirical data on 15 crime groups, including over 300 offenders. The crime groups differ in size, composition, and the nature of criminal activities. Social capital theory is used to understand the dynamical process of becoming involved in organized crime; on the one hand an individual contributes to a crime group, on the other hand the crime group helps an individual reach certain goals. Case studies reveal several resources, such as knowledge, skills, and equipment, that make offenders suit and contribute to a particular organized crime group. Criminal and conventional histories of organized crime offenders turn out to be diverse. Several joint characteristics that opened doors to organized crime opportunities, like running one’s own business, are discussed. It is confirmed that involvement through family and long-time friends is common; most criminal groups contain at least one or two relatives.     

Revitalizing the Antique War Crime of Pillage: The Potential and Pitfalls of Using International Criminal Law to Address Illegal Resource Exploitation during Armed Conflict

This article explores the potential of international criminal law in addressing the problem of illegal exploitation of natural resources in conflict areas, with a specific focus on the war crime of pillage and the prospective role of the International Criminal Court (ICC). It discusses whether the war crime of pillage can adequately capture the phenomenon of illegal exploitation of natural resources during armed conflict, or whether alternative tools or crime definitions might be more useful to address this negative phenomenon. The article examines the practice of international courts in relation to pillage charges and explores their role in prosecuting the illegal exploitation of natural resources. It concludes with some thoughts on whether the revival of the crime of pillage should be perceived as the panacea to the problem of “resource conflicts” or whether it is rather an empty shell.     

刑法规范对非刑事法律规范的独立性阐释研究

刑法规范在对非刑事法律规范具有一定依附性的同时,更表现出作为刑法规范本身的独立性。由于立法技术的要求、刑法规范目的的需要以及法律法规变迁等原因,在刑法规范解释过程中,对一些刑法概念、用语的解释不能当然地依据法律、行政法规的相关规定,在运用适当的解释规则的前提下,对刑法用语作出不同于法律、行政法规的解释并不当然违背罪刑法定原则。非刑事法律规范对某些概念外延所作出的扩大适用的指引性规则亦并不当然适用于刑法领域,刑法中对此仍应作出独立性的适用。     

“诱惑侦查”人员出庭作证问题研究

近年来,随着犯罪案件类型日益复杂化,传统侦查手段和技术在侦破一些特殊案件时遇到严峻考验。诱惑侦查作为一种特殊的侦查手段被频繁适用于那些具有高度隐蔽性、组织性、智能化如贩毒、行受贿、网络犯罪等案件的侦查取证中,然而我国法律并没有对诱惑侦查做具体规定,由此引发的法律问题进一步凸现,“诱惑侦查”人员出庭作证的相关问题需做进一步探讨。     

The Concept of a Joint Criminal Enterprise and Domestic Modes of Liability for Parties to a Crime: A Comparison of German and English Law

The concept of a Joint Criminal Enterprise (JCE) has becomea useful tool in international criminal law. It allows courtsto hold individuals criminally liable for group activities towhich they have contributed in a criminally relevant way. Theconcept allows for an attribution of criminal responsibilityof unforeseen consequences of such group activities, and itseems to enable the prosecution and the courts to extend criminalliability to high-level perpetrators that use subordinated personsfor their criminal aims. The advantages of such a tool are obvioussince the crimes under international criminal law are mostlyof a systematic, large-scale and collective character, whiledomestic criminal law mainly deals with less complex crimesthat are normally committed by individuals who can easily belinked to the crime. Due to this empirical or criminologicalfact, it seems logical that the normal modes of liability forparties to a crime used in domestic criminal law need to beadapted, and that a rather extensive assignment of criminalliability for secondary parties is justified in internationalcriminal law. This article seeks to question this assumptionby undertaking a comparative analysis of domestic modes of liability.The author aims to show, on the one hand, to what extent theconcept of JCE is in line with the general concept of partiesto a crime in domestic criminal law. On the other hand, theauthor argues that abandoning the idea of JCE as an independentmode of liability may lead to better compliance with the principlesof legality and individual criminal responsibility and therebyincrease the legitimacy of international criminal law.     

What Do Juvenile Offenders Know About Being Tried as Adults? Implications for Deterrence

An underlying assumption in the nationwide policy shift toward transferring more juveniles to criminal court has been the belief that stricter, adult sentences will act as either a specific or general deterrent to juvenile crime. With respect to general deterrence—whether transfer laws deter would‐be offenders from committing crimes—it is important to examine whether juveniles know about transfer laws, whether this knowledge deters criminal behavior, and whether juveniles believe the laws will be enforced against them. The current study is one of the first to examine juveniles' knowledge and perceptions of transfer laws and criminal sanctions. We interviewed 37 juveniles who had been transferred to criminal court in Georgia, obtaining quantitative as well as qualitative data based on structured interviewed questions. Four key findings emerged. First, juveniles were unaware of the transfer law. Second, juveniles felt that awareness of the law may have deterred them from committing the crime or may deter other juveniles from committing crimes, and they suggested practical ways to enhance juveniles' awareness of transfer laws. Third, the juveniles generally felt that it was unfair to try and sentence them as adults. Finally, the consequences of committing their crime were worse than most had imagined, and the harsh consequences of their incarceration in adult facilities may have had a brutalizing effect on some juveniles. The implications for general and specific deterrence are discussed.     

存疑不起诉的法理分析与制度完善

存疑不起诉是刑事诉讼法规定的不起诉的形式之一,是“疑罪从无”和“无罪推定”原则在刑事诉讼法中的具体体现。在学界和司法实践中,存疑不起诉制度却存在诸多争议。本文在对存疑不起诉的理论基础、价值判断、法律属性和刑事赔偿责任进行法理分析的基础上,提出了完善存疑不起诉制度的立法建议。     

徇私枉法罪客观方面疑难问题探讨

徇私枉法罪的客观方面表现为,行为人在刑事司法活动中实施了徇私枉法、徇情枉法的行为。在刑法理论和司法实践中,本罪客观方面存在一些疑难问题,争议较大,如枉法的具体含义、枉法行为的对象、故重故轻追诉、利用职务上的便利是否为本罪所必备等。这些问题直接影响到本罪的正确认定,需要作深入探讨。     

大陆与澳门刑法中排除犯罪性之执行命令事由的比较

排除犯罪性的事由是指根据刑法规范或者社会相当性理念而排除行为的犯罪性使之正当化的事实。在我国澳门刑法与大陆刑法中,依法执行命令的事实均可排除行为之犯罪性。但是,由于受诸种因素的影响,两地刑法对于执行命令的立法渊源、构成条件以及排除犯罪性的理由等方面存在显著差异。     

Ascent of the corporate model in environmental-organized crime

Since the mid-1980s, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act of 1970 (RICO) has been used against traditional organized criminals (i.e., Mafia) operating within various waste-trade industries. Recent civil and criminal RICO cases brought in New York City and State, provide current examples of the overall limited success of using RICO against criminal actors situated within the waste-trade industries. Although the traditional form of organized crime (i.e., Mafia) appears to be on the wane, corporate forms of organized crime have already entered into the waste-trade industries to fill the void created by the extraction of their predecessors. These corporate racketeers closely mimic the old traditional form of crime they have replaced, but may prove to be even more intractable, because, as the literature on corporate crime has clearly shown, corporate entities are extremely resistant to labeling as illegitimate organizations. One result of addressing “environmental-organized crime” as strictly organized crime, rather than as environmental crime, is that little change will be forthcoming in our current environmental regulations, laws, strategies and policies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.