美国《梅根法案》:为性犯罪者打上终身烙印

正美国的性犯罪信息公开制度,让性犯罪者一朝犯罪,终生无处遁形。2014年1月10日,曾经逃亡到中国北京的英国性侵儿童嫌疑犯尼尔·罗宾森在英国法院受审。逃亡期间,他堂而皇之地在北京某国际学校任外教并娶妻成家。2013年4月案发后,他被引渡回英国。经过审判,尼尔·罗宾森被判犯有非法性侵幼女、强暴猥     

登记离婚制度实施中儿童权益保障情况实证调查研究

为建设法治中国,《中国民法典》的制定已被提上议事日程。婚姻家庭法是《中国民法典》的重要组成部分。开展我国登记离婚制度实施中儿童权益保障情况之实证调查,旨在总结我国登记离婚制度实施工作的成效,分析其不足,揭示其原因,提出改进建议。这有利于我国登记离婚制度的修改完善,有利于《中国民法典》之婚姻家庭编的制定,有利于维护儿童合法权益,保障儿童健康成长。     

商事登记制度的属性反思及制度重构

制定统一的商事登记法并不是解决当前商事登记立法矛盾的最佳选择。在明确商事登记制度私法属性的前提下,建议未来的商事登记制度将各类商主体按照其产生的基础和承担责任方式的不同分为两类,即承担有限责任的商主体(公司)和承担无限责任的商主体(商自然人和商合伙),仅仅对承担有限责任的公司实行强制登记制度。即使对公司实现强制登记,也应当弱化商事登记的监管职能,将传统的前置行政审批程序定位于公示职能,将经营者的主体资格与营业资格相分离,以求安全与效率价值的平衡。     

完善我国房地产登记制度的实证思考

我国的房地产登记模式,仍应采取权利登记模式,同时可以吸取契约登记制度的一些优点;登记机关的设立一般以市为基础;在立法上,应明确区分土地权利的总登记和初始登记,在实务中,有必要引入房地产登记专业代理人制度,同时确立登记机关和专业代理人相应的赔偿责任和保险制度。     

我国不动产物权登记制度的反思与构建

我国现行的不动产登记制度,存在着没有统一的不动产登记立法、没有统一的不动产登记机关、权属证书不统一、登记种类不健全、登记法律效力不明确等问题;在不动产登记制度完善时,应建立不动产物权登记的统一规则、制定统一的不动产登记法,建立统一的不动产登记机关,采纳登记要件主义的立法模式,确立登记的公信力,建立登记机关的赔偿责任制度。     

美国版权登记的历史沿革、法典效力和无纸化登记趋势

很多国家将版权登记纳入本国知识产权立法,明示登记的法律效力。美国作为知识产权密集型国家,曾经不登记,无版权。本文从美国版权登记机构的法定职责入手,系统阐述美国版权登记的法律效力、法定审查要件、作品版权登记程序、文件备案规则等制度内涵,以便读者对其版权登记机制有一个直观了解。     

社会团体登记制度反思

中国社会团体管理采取的是双重许可制度,包括业务主管单位的“批准”制度和登记管理机关的“登记”制度。对于前者的批判已经形成共识,但是对于后者的反思却尚未开始。社会团体登记中应当包含行政确认的内容,也应当包含行政许可的内容,即从公民行使结社权组成社会团体层面来看,社会团体登记是一种行政确认行为;从公民行使结社权组成法人型社会团体层面来看,法人型社会团体的登记属于行政许可行为。澄清这一概念,重新审视中国的社会团体登记制度,明确从何处改革现有的制度,并提出改革的方向和目标,同时也有利于我们正视社会团体登记权的边界和限度。     

证券登记制度研究——兼论商事登记制度的发展

由于证券市场在国家经济生活中的地位不断提升,证券投资成为商事领域中不可或缺的部分。因此在商事登记制度中,证券登记制度应是重要的内容之一。随着证券市场的制度创新,证券登记制度也发展了传统的商事登记制度,即传统的商事登记制度专注于商事主体地位的确立,而证券登记制度则注重于商事(证券)主体权利状态的确认和商事(证券)行为状态的确认。     

不动产登记费用制度研究

为填补不动产登记机关的运作成本,对不动产登记收取一定的费用是合理而正当的。不动产登记费用应包括登记费、工本费、查询费以及其他相关费用。我国《物权法》关于不动产登记收费的规定比较粗糙,未来我国不动产登记收费制度应建立起费用收缴、减免、退还以及费用管理等制度。     

美国司法裁量实证研究评析

美国学者多采用实证方法研究司法裁量。通过立足于司法裁量实践、量化研究因素、运用统计分析揭示影响法官司法裁量的因素。实证方法因能客观展示法官司法裁量过程而具有重大价值;但同时由于数据采集不完整、研究因素量化不科学等缺陷有时导致研究错误。美国司法裁量的实证研究方法及其存在的问题为我国相关实证研究提供重大参考价值。     

Utilizing Criminal History Information to Explore the Effect of Community Notification on Sex Offender Recidivism

While sex offender registration laws with notification provisions are now over a decade old, little is known about how these policies influence the prevention of sex offending. Very few studies have considered the impact of notification on sex offender recidivism or the effect of these laws on sex crimes, generally. This study considers the effectiveness of offender tracking and declaration at the state level through evaluation of current sex offender laws in Arkansas. Using a quasi‐experimental regression‐discontinuity design, this research evaluated the recidivism of the first three waves of sex offenders registered in the state (1997–1999) vs. a comparison group of sex offenders from a decade earlier (1987–1989). Findings indicate there is no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of recidivism. Policy implications are discussed.     

Sex Offender Community Notification and Community Stratification

Community notification laws have been passed by the federal government and legislature of every state. At the very least, these laws require local law enforcement officials to publicize the personal and residential information of known sex offenders. Although researchers and other social commentators have begun to assess the effects of community notification on targeted sex offenders and on criminal justice practices and practitioners, the potential consequences of the policy for different types of communities have received only scant attention. Using sex offender registry and US Census data for two states (Nebraska and Oklahoma), we examine the relationship between community characteristics and the residential patterns of sex offenders. Findings from mapping and regression analyses suggest a greater concentration of sex offenders in disadvantaged communities than in more affluent communities. To the extent that community notification allows residents of more affluent communities to mobilize resources in order to remove identified sex offenders, it may increase the geographical clustering of these offenders in areas already facing a greater risk and having fewer resources to manage the problem. Implications of findings in terms of “concentrated disadvantage” are discussed.     

The Effect of Statewide Residency Restrictions on Sex Offender Post-Release Housing Mobility

Securing stable housing may be difficult for returning offenders in general, and these concerns may be exacerbated for sex offenders. In addition to the barriers faced by other returning offenders, sex offenders face intense stigma and once released to the community, they are also subject to additional legal restrictions. The current study explores the effect of statewide residency restriction policies on housing mobility using a unique sample of male sex offenders released in a Midwestern state. The research is based on a quasi-experimental cohort control group design and it describes the frequency and correlation of movement for pre- and post-statewide residency restriction legislation samples. Sex offenders released after the implementation of residency restrictions moved more often and had relatively high degrees of housing mobility compared to offenders released prior to the legislation. The results have important implications for reentry programming and post-release services for sex offenders.     

Paying to Be Punished: A Statutory Analysis of Sex Offender Registration Fees

Over the last 20 years, sex offender policies, specifically in terms of community corrections, have increased in scope. One of the most controversial and pervasive sex offender policies is that of registration. In response to the consumption of already limited resources, jurisdictions have imposed increasingly higher community supervision fees onto the offenders, requiring them to pay for their own re-entry. However, to date no research study has examined the statutory language associated with registration fees collected post release from formal community sanctions. Using a statutory analysis within the United States, this research finds and quantifies the imposition of a registration fee on offenders who are legally compelled to pay these registration costs, regardless of whether they are still currently under community supervision. Results show that more than half of U.S. states (n?=?28) incorporate statutory language authorizing registration fees, ranging anywhere from $5 per registration to up to $250 per year. These findings, as well as suggestions for future research and policy recommendations, are discussed.     

Sex of Spouse Abuse Offender and Directionality of Abuse as Predictors of Personal Distress,Interpersonal Functioning,and Perceptions of Family Climate

This study examines perceptions of personal distress, interpersonal functioning and family climate reported by men and women involved in unidirectional versus bidirectional spouse abuse. Participants were 7253 offenders treated by the USAF Family Advocacy Program from 1988 to 1996. Over a quarter of the sample is female and included among them were both unidirectional and bidirectional offenders. Grouping factors for the analysis are gender, directionality of aggression, history of abuse in childhood, history of recidivism, and severity of aggression. Females and offenders raised in abusive homes reported more negative perceptions across the measured spheres. Unidirectional abusers reported more personal distress, but bidirectional abuse had more conflicted family climates. Few differences were noted in offenders' perceptions based on the severity of their abuse or their history of repeat offenses. Tests for interactions yielded no reliable pattern indicating that grouping factors were related to outcomes in an additive fashion.     

附条件不起诉制度实证研究——温州市检察机关附条件不起诉试点工作调查报告

附条件不起诉制度作为轻罪案件非犯罪化处理的一种起诉替代措施,具有化解矛盾纠纷、提高司法效率等积极作用,成为近年来刑事诉讼领域备受关注的热点课题。我国许多地方的检察机关陆续开展了试点工作,积极探索附条件不起诉制度在中国的运行模式。温州市检察机关结合工作情况,对附条件不起诉实践运行基本情况、取得效果、存在问题进行总结和剖析,为我国合理构建附条件不起诉制度提出相应的立法建议。     

An Empirical Analysis of 30 Years of U.S. Juvenile and Adult Sexual Homicide Offender Data: Race and Age Differences in the Victim–Offender Relationship

Abstract: Little is known about the racial patterns of crimes committed by sexual homicide offenders (SHOs). This study examined race and age influences on victim–offender relationship for juvenile and adult SHOs. A large sample (N = 3868) from the Supplemental Homicide Reports (1976–2005) was used. Analyses of victim–offender patterns included examining victim age effects (child, adolescent, adult, and elderly). The findings revealed several race‐ and age‐based differences. Black offenders were significantly overrepresented in the SHO population. This finding held for juveniles and adults independently. White SHOs were highly likely to kill within their race, “intra‐racially” (range 91–100%) across four victim age categories, whereas Black SHOs killed both intra‐racially (range 24–82%) and inter‐racially (18–76%), with the likelihood of their killing inter‐racially increasing as the age of the victim increased. This study underscores the importance of considering victim–offender racial patterns in sexual murder investigations, and it offers practical implications for offender profiling.     

Using the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to Test Estimates of Arrestee and Offender Characteristics

National-Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) information for 1993 iscompared with two other sets of homicide data to assess the acuracy ofprocedures for estimating age-, sex-, and race-specific arrest counts fromtraditional Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data. The simultaneous age, race, andsex characteristics of offenders provided in the NIBRS arrest and offender segmentsare compared with estimates of the same characteristics derived from summaryUCR arrest data. The results suggest that using UCR marginal totals toestimate arrest counts by race and sex produces reasonably accurateestimates of the number of black and nonblack male arrests for murder andother offenses. Estimates of arrests of females by race and sex are lessaccurate, probably because of the relatively small number of arrests ofwomen and girls. Estimating male arrest counts for specific age groups alsoproduces reasonably accurate estimates. The results suggest that previousresearch employing such estimates may have been misleading in the estimatesof female arrests by race but accurate in the estimates of male arrests byrace. Although the use of summary UCR-based estimates in futurecross-sectional research will become increasingly unnecessary as the NIBRSreplaces the current UCR program, time series research designs on arrest andcrime trends will continue to require estimates.     

Evaluation of the assessment and treatment of a child sex offender: A case study

Abstract

There is indisputable necessity for engaging child sex offenders in effective therapy to reduce recidivist rates. However, it is becoming increasingly recognised that, to do this, more contemporary psychological methods of treatment are being utilised instead of, or as well as, imprisonment.

To establish what constitutes effective therapy requires the constant search for new and successful treatments. To achieve this, it is advantageous to follow preexisting successful methods of treatment but to acknowledge that therapy must be adapted according to an individual's unique presenting difficulties and therapeutic needs.

This paper details assessment techniques, evaluation of psychological dysfunctions, the therapy plan and treatment outcome of a convicted child sex offender. Specifically, Mr X's background history, psychological dysfunctions and progress, using a functional analysis approach, are examined in detail with critical review of the therapeutic intervention.     

Female Sex Offenders: A Controlled Comparison of Offender and Victim/Crime Characteristics

The current study was a chart review of 31 female sex offenders (FSO), 31 male sex offenders (MSO), 31 female violent offenders (FO), and 31 male violent offenders (MO) using a 2 (female or male) by 2 (sex or violent offender) design. This is the first known study to employ three control groups when researching female sex offenders. Multiple variables appeared related to gender and crime. However, some variables emerged as FSO specific. They reported the least alcohol abuse history and had fewer admissions of guilt to the crime than the two violent offender samples. More FSOs knew their victim and were biologically related to their victim than MSOs. Lastly, the FSO sample was the least discriminating as to their victim’s gender and had the highest overall rate of sexual victimization.