南通智障少女子宫切除案的法律思考——论智障者知情同意权的行使

南通智障少女子宫切除案件对社会的触动,暴露出了我国智障未成年人知情同意权行使规则的缺失。文章分析了案件的本质问题,通过对域外立法、判例之考察,提出粗浅的立法建议。     

南通智障少女子宫切除案的法律思考——论智障者知情同意权的行使

南通智障少女子宫切除案件对社会的触动，暴露出了我国智障未成年人知情同意权行使规则的缺失。文章分析了案件的本质问题，通过对域外立法、判例之考察，提出粗浅的立法建议。     

Beyond labeling: The case of the mentally retarded

This paper provides a review of the sociological literature on the mentally retarded. It attempts to analyze the reasons why the mentally retarded have been so thoroughly de-valued in our society that even social scientists ignore them as an object of study. The literature that does exist is primarily confined to the mildly retarded and generally applies labeling theory to understand the processes by which individuals unable to succeed in institutions such as schools are diagnosed as retarded. Studies employing labeling theory either ignore the severely retarded or allow the medical model as the only appropriate framework for understanding these populations.The failure to include the severely retarded in the general analysis of the problems of the handicapped by labeling theorists indicates a deficiency in the theory rather than the group excluded. A more critical perspective on the handicapped is required which ties the analysis to the study of other surplus populations such as the poor, the illiterate and other disposessed groups. The treatment of the severely retarded provides a looking-glass into the way our society can so de-value a dependent population that its very survival can be questioned.A version of this paper was presented to the Southern Sociological Society Meetings, Memphis, Tennessee, 1982.     

Characteristics of mentally retarded criminal offenders in Northern Taiwan

The characteristics and criminal behavior in mentally retarded individuals remain largely unstudied. This retrospective study sought to establish a set of reference of criminal behavior characteristics in an ethnic Chinese mentally retarded group. Data were collected from forensic psychiatric evaluation of 32 mentally retarded offenders. Of the 32 offenders, only four (12.5%) cases were female. Mean age at the time of the offenses was 31. By IQ testing, 23 (71.9%) of the group fell into the mild mental retardation range, seven (21.9%) into the moderate mental retardation range, and two (6.2%) into the severe mental retardation range. Nineteen (59.3%) of the group also suffered from additional mental disorder. Eight (25%) had definite neurological deficit. Fourteen (43.8%) were repeat offenders. A total of 24 (75%) of the offenders had committed crimes against property, with 13 having committed petty theft. Furthermore, the pattern of offending shows differences from that of the general population or other mental disorders. The property offenses, especially petty theft and arson, were frequently seen. There was no noteworthy above average frequency of sexual offenses.     

The mentally retarded offender in the criminal justice system

The problem of the mentally retarded offender begins at the first encounter with the criminal justice system and continues through the correctional system. A recent survey compared attitudus of police and mental health professional. Police (78%) felt that disturbed person (including mentally retarded offenders) should be handcuffed when being transported. In contrast, mental health professionals (84%) felt no individual should be handcuffed. The mentally retarded offenders, once incarcerated, are a group that is confronted with problems beyond those usually associated with prison life. The authors examine the complex issued stemming from the special conditions of the MRO and suggest recommendations for developing rational attitudes and policies within the criminal justice system.     

International norms on execution of the insane and the mentally retarded

Conclusion Victor Hugo considered the death penalty to be the hallmark of barbarity. 104 International human rights law clearly contemplates abolition of the death penalty. To some extent, it has succeeded in promoting universal and imperative norms, as in the case of the prohibitions on torture and slavery. 105 With respect to the death penalty, results have been more gradual and the effort has met with more opposition. Although international norms now exist prohibiting the death penalty, 106 they are not yet widely ratified. This is why international organizations dedicated to the promotion of human rights have insisted upon strict limitation of the death penalty, including its total exclusion for certain categories, such as juveniles, pregnant women, the elderly, and the insane.No treaty provision exists to exclude the insane from the death penalty. The conclusion that this prohibition represents a customary norm is an important one, with consequences not only in international law but also in domestic law since many states consider customary international law to be a part of their domestic law. Wherever a court concludes that in the absence of any domestic statutory provision to the contrary, customary international human rights law prohibits execution of an insane prisoner, a small step will be taken away from the barbarism lamented by Hugo.B.A., University of Toronto 1972; M.A., University of Toronto 1973; LL.B., University of Montreal 1983; LL.M., University of Montreal 1990; LL.D., University of Montreal 1993.