Sentences and Dispositions

When a child sexual abuse situation is first presented, it is necessary to look down the road to ascertain what can be done, and what cannot be done. The investigation, process, procedures, and court orders can then all be melded into a cohesive whole which will best accomplish what needs to be done. Thus it is necessary at the outset to consider the dispositions and to plan for it. It thus also becomes necessary at the outset to coordinate the plans and activities of all of the authorities and agencies involved, which may be a sticky invasion of various turfs. There are numerous potential remedies, most of them currently available in most communities, which are readily replicated from other communities. The problem is principally educating all of the professionals into all aspects of the problem, all potential solutions, and somehow to persuade them to coordinate their efforts.     

Non-custodial Dispositions and the Politicsof Sentencing

In 2012, the Government of Victoria, Australia, introduced a new form of non-custodial disposition known as the “community correction order” (“CCO”). In 2014, the Victorian Court of Appeal was asked to provide guidance to sentencing courts so that CCOs could fulfil their potential as an alternative to imprisonment. The Court’s guideline judgment concluded that the advent of the CCO had the potential to transform sentencing in Victoria but that this would depend upon the community being properly informed about the capacity of a CCO to operate punitively, as well as to promote rehabilitation. This did not occur, however, and there was strident criticism of the judgment as authorising inadequate punishment of serious offences. Although sentencing courts have utilised the CCO appropriately in the light of the judgment, the Government recently legislated to restrict its availability.     

The Effect of Prior Youth Court Dispositions on Current Disposition: An Application of Societal-Reaction Theory

This paper tests hypotheses implicit in the societal-reaction perspective concerning the nature and pattern of the relationship between prior and current youth court dispositions. The dispositional stage is the most critical decision-making level which young offenders encounter in their contact with the youth court system. Previous research has produced inconsistent results in the attempt to determine which model or models of justice underlie dispositional decisions by youth court judges. Log-linear modeling is employed on 16,636 youth court cases in Canada in 1993/1994 to determine the nature and magnitude of the relationship between current and prior dispositions. The results indicate that prior youth court dispositions exert a significant impact on current dispositions, even when relevant variables are controlled. Evidence is found mainly of stabilization—the repetition of the same type of disposition—and also of escalation in dispositions. These findings provide support for the societal-reaction theory and possibly for the desert-based theory of sentencing.     

The Role of Courtroom Workgroups in Felony Case Dispositions: An Analysis of Workgroup Familiarity and Similarity

While pleading guilty has become ubiquitous in criminal trial courts, limited research has focused on the plea process and the factors that influence guilty plea convictions. Numerous theoretical accounts of the plea process highlight the importance of the court actors and their interactions. Based on this research, the current study analyzes the impact of courtroom actor familiarity and similarity on the chosen mode of disposition and the time to disposition. The findings demonstrate that similarity among the actors and familiarity between the prosecutor and judge increase the odds of a plea disposition and reduce the days to disposition. However, familiarity of the defense attorney seems to impede on the informal plea process, such that cases are more likely to proceed to trial when the defense attorney is more familiar with the other actors.     

法律全球化：争论与出路

围绕着法律全球化问题,我国学者产生了有没有、要不要和如何进行的三重争议,由于这些争议是在没有对全球化做出前提性界定的基础上进行的,所以总是陷入事实与价值两极之争的困境之中。我们引入“过程”论来理解全球化的思想,意在指出从发展路向上看全球化有不同的阶段且每个阶段都有它的内在规定性。从当下的阶段来看,全球化已经把世界联结为一个异质的整体,从性质上说这个整体是事实和价值的统一体。它们一起对法律全球化的过程、制度和理念起着规制作用。理解这种“过程”论要求我们从根本上转换现代法的精神,即促进权利范式的发展、培育新的自由理念和参与全球法律制度竞争与全球治理。     

Impact of the Young Offenders Act on Dispositions in the Juvenile Justice System of Canada

Following implementation of the Young Offenders Act (YOA) in April 1984, it was believed that a shift had occurred from an emphasis on rehabilitation and indeterminate sentences under the Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA) to an emphasis on punishment and determinate sentences under the new legislation, and a subsequent increase in frequency and length of custodial dispositions. Research studies suggest that, while the number of youths charged and the number sentenced to probation has remained the same, committals to custody and average length of detention have increased. Furthermore, victim reconciliation and community service orders are being used more often as dispositions under the YOA, consistent with the principle of accountability of young offenders.

The present study attempts to determine the impact of the YOA on judicial dispositions for 13 to 15 year old young offenders at the Provincial Court (Family Division), Frontenac County, by attempting to control for the nature of the cases and the type of individual brought before the courts. The hypothesis examined is that the YOA has not caused a change in youth court dispositions.

Differences were, in fact, found between dispositions used and it was shown by matching youths under each Act on age, sex, offence, and previous history, that similar youths do not necessarily receive the same dispositions; the probability of receiving a more severe form of disposition is greater for youths under the YOA than for youths with similar background characteristics and current offence under the JDA. Individuals who are given a particular disposition under the JDA and the YOA were also found to differ in terms of background characteristics. A number of reasons for the discovery of a change in dispositions are discussed.     

论增设袭警罪的隐患

增设袭警罪对保障警察执法权并无实质价值,反而容易产生不适当地扩大刑法打击面,破坏刑法分则现有的合理结构,产生新的罪刑失衡问题等弊端,因此,我国目前不宜增设袭警罪。     

A Comparison of the Dispositions of Juvenile Offenders Certified as Adults with Juvenile Offenders Not Certified

Abstract In recent years, the transfer of juveniles to adult courts has been seen as one way of “getting tough” on juvenile crime. This study examined juvenile cases transferred to adult court, and compared them with a random sample of delinquents adjudicated in juvenile court for conduct that would constitute felonies if committed by an adult. The results indicated that juvenile cases transferred to adult court were far more likely to be pending and unresolved, as compared to the sample from the juvenile justice system. Furthermore, the results did not support the proposition that juveniles transferred to adult court would receive greater punishment than they could expect in juvenile court. Except for a small number of offenders, the prospect of transfer did not appear to provide a deterrent to crime.     

我国四法域遗嘱方式立法比较研究

通过对我国四法域遗嘱方式规范的比较可以发现,四法域立法在遗嘱形式分类、遗嘱见证程序及见证人资格等方面差异明显,在其他遗嘱方式事项上也各有特色。我国大陆地区的公证遗嘱、录音遗嘱、特别遗嘱及遗嘱见证人规范存在明显不足,应当借鉴其他法域的立法经验予以完善。     

Evidence for Connections Between Prosecutor-Reported Marijuana Case Dispositions and Community Youth Marijuana-Related Attitudes and Behaviors

This article examines relationships between local drug policy (as represented by prosecutor-reported case outcomes for first-offender juvenile marijuana possession cases) and youth self-reported marijuana use, perceived risk, and disapproval. Interviews with prosecutors and surveys of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students in the United States were conducted in 2000. Analyses include data from 97 prosecutors and students from 127 schools in 40 states. Results indicate significant relationships between local drug policy and youth marijuana use and attitudes. In general, more-severe dispositions are associated with less marijuana use, higher disapproval rates, and increased perceptions of great risk. Associations primarily appear to be specific to marijuana-related outcomes. Results are discussed within the framework of both deterrence and broader social norms regarding substance use.     

中国古代判词的伦理化倾向及其可能的效用

判词是古代司法官员审理案件的具结文书。中国古代判词融情、理、法于一体,运用情感和道德的说理艺术,具有明显的伦理化色彩,但其注重寻求个案的实质正义和宣教意义,不失为中国传统法律文化中的一份值得珍惜的遗产。重新认识和评价古代判词的内在精神实质及其效用,有利于革除我国现行司法判决文书刻板化、程式化的弊端,推动司法文化的改革和进步。     

初论民间规范对法律方法的可能贡献

民间规范作为一种实际存在的“制度事实”,对法律方法有着什么样的意义?基于此种问题意识,对民间法可能对法律方法的贡献的研究,应该是有益的。由于司法活动中的法律方法多样,这里只对法律方法之于法律渊源、价值(利益)衡量、判例和判例法形成方式、法律论证的可能贡献做出了简要的描述。可以肯定,民间规范对其他法律方法也一样会有可能作用。对此,笔者将在后续研究中逐步探讨。