Dimensions of Censorship: Reconceptualizing Public Willingness to Censor

First Amendment scholars and advocates have often criticized the American public's inconsistent dedication to free expression. Many studies have attempted to identify variables that predict pro-censorship attitudes, but such relationships remain largely enigmatic. The confusion is due, in part, to the myriad ways in which censorship attitudes have been conceptually and operationally defined. Informed by First Amendment theory and case law, a conceptual and operational approach to measuring these attitudes is proposed and tested. The results show it is important to conceptualize censorship attitudes as multifaceted.     

Property Rights, Theft, Amnesty, and Efficiency

In this paper we show that costs associated with infractions of property rights, such as theft, can be reduced by imposing lower penalties on individuals who admit to such infractions and make restitution. We find that the socially optimal penalty on a confessed thief may be zero (complete amnesty) or even negative—a person may be given a reward for confessing a theft. This is because a thief's valuation of a good is generally lower that its valuation by its legal owner, and an amnesty permits the trade that such a difference in valuation makes calls for. It is interesting to note that the benefits of amnesties were apparently recognized in ancient times and they constitute part of Biblical Law. Moreover, such amnesties have also been informally incorporated into modern legal systems, wherein leniency (a form of partial amnesty) is generally shown to individuals who confess their infractions.     

羁押必要性审查制度研究

我国在最新修订的法律及各种规范性文件中对羁押制度进行了修改与完善,其中修改后的《刑事诉讼法》确立了必要性审查程序,而最新的《人民检察院刑事诉讼规则(试行)》则对此进行了细化,通过多个条文予以具体规定,对审查主体、内容、方式等问题进行了初步的规定。由于法律和司法解释的规定都相对比较原则,导致该项制度在实施过程中仍存在程序规定不细致、审查标准不明确等问题。我们应在理清羁押及羁押必要性审查的概念、羁押必要性审查的理论基础及价值目标等基础理论的前提下,梳理出我国羁押必要性审查制度的立法现状,并在此基础上正确理解我国羁押必要性审查的性质、涉及的诉讼阶段、审查的案件范围、实施审查的工作主体等基本问题,进而结合基层检察工作实际,构建一套符合立法意旨且切实可行的羁押必要性审查机制。     

论盗窃未遂的罪与罚

《刑法》第23条对未遂犯处罚的规定并未得到司法实践的严格遵守,盗窃罪未遂在实践中分为可罚的盗窃未遂和不可罚的盗窃未遂;犯罪未遂的处罚根据有客观未遂论、主观未遂论及印象理论。犯罪未遂通常并不能被视作情节显著轻微的行为,可考虑犯罪未遂与行为未遂概念的区别。对盗窃未遂处罚规则应当进行重构,不可罚的盗窃未遂应限定在未达到法定数额之盗窃未遂、指向财物数额较大但情节轻微的盗窃未遂,以及情节轻微的扒窃未遂三种情形。多次盗窃、入户盗窃、携带凶器盗窃之未遂原则上可罚。     

Predicting and Preventing the Theft of Electronic Products

The research presented within this paper was conducted as part of a 2-year project (Project MARC) to develop and render operational a mechanism to assess the risk of theft of electronic products. Clarke and Newman (Secured goods by design - a plan for security coding of electronic products. London: Department of Trade and Industry, 2002) proposed the use of two checklists—one to measure vulnerability, the other to measure security—as a means of categorising products according to their vulnerability to theft. Consultation with key stakeholders yielded the common view that such a mechanism was worth pursuing, but that it must reflect the language of those who would use it. An extensive consultation with stakeholders from ten European member states ensued. Participants were asked to rate a range of electronic products in terms of vulnerability and security, and to explain their ratings. Their responses were used to develop two checklists that incorporate a variety of factors, weighted according to the frequency with which they were expressed. The crime vulnerability checklist developed within this paper is judged fit-for-purpose as a provisional measurement but we urge caution in relation to the security checklist.

Auto Theft and Restrictive Deterrence

Although researchers have examined the attributes that make offenders more or less responsive to sanction threats, far less attention has centered on the manner in which responsiveness can lead to less detectible crime, or perhaps even more overall crime. Restrictive deterrence is the concept that explains this paradox. We explore it here using qualitative interviews with 35 active auto thieves. Findings suggest that auto thieves' restrictively deterrent decision-making strategies fell into three broad categories: discretionary target selection, normalcy illusions, and defiance. Discussion focuses on the data's conceptual implications for restrictive deterrence and offender decision-making.     

盗窃罪的展开——基于中国传统刑法理论的反思

确认窃取行为的内涵与侵害对象是适用盗窃罪的关键。盗窃犯罪形态的复杂化,特别是"公开盗窃"的出现使得我国传统刑法理论将窃取限定为"相对秘密"的观点显出不足,有必要扩大窃取行为内涵的包容性,实现从相对秘密窃取到公开窃取的发展。盗窃罪的行为是以非暴力手段,将他人占有的财物转移为自己或第三者占有,这里的非暴力是相对于被害人的人身以及物而言的非强力手段(平和手段)。盗窃罪的对象是排除行为人以外的他人占有的财物。作为盗窃罪对象的物的占有,涉及现实占有与观念占有两种形态。基于窃取行为和侵害对象而构建的盗窃罪行为构造,能够准确界定盗窃罪与其他财产犯罪的区别。     

The Structure of Censorship Attitudes

Research about censorship attitudes across disciplines shares the normative goal of predicting and modifying attitudes perceived as either too permissive or too restrictive. Understanding attitude structure is important to achieving this goal. This study explores the intra-attitudinal structure of public censorship attitudes, specifically the general tendency to endorse particular government actions. For twenty-one scenarios, respondents indicated their agreement with each of five possible government reactions: prior restraint; subsequent punishment; time, place, manner restrictions; allow, and protect. Scale scores were computed for each government response. There are strong correlations between the two punitive restriction options and between the two permissive government responses. The time, place, manner response option related moderately to the other scales. Additional structural information is provided by examining scale relationships with other variables: gender, liberal-conservative self-rank, religiosity, need for cognition, authoritarianism, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion.     

苏联舆论审查与版权法的畸变

沙俄时期的版权法直接借鉴了法、德等国的法律，1911年版权法达到了西欧国家的保护水平。十月革命后，在苏维埃社会主义国家与法律框架下，版权法屡经修改，在基本保留欧洲版权法律框架的基础上，保护水平不高，公法化倾向明显。但是，按照苏维埃所理解的表达自由，苏联当局一直实施严厉的言论审查，作者受到迫害，文化遭遇整肃，版权法没有实现其应有的效力。相反，在专制主义体制下，现代版权畸变为政治特权。     

Developing a Capacity for Self-Preservation and Emergency Management Among Battered Families

A study of families' responses to emergency situations was conducted. Participants included 5 single mothers, and their children, who had been victims of domestic violence. During baseline, families' survival skills were assessed in role-play scenarios involving threatening intruders, fire, and medical emergencies. Subsequently, family members were instructed in ways to manage these emergencies. Components of training were individualized on the basis of each family's situation (e.g., whether they possessed working automobiles, telephones). Results indicated all participants mastered these survival skills and maintained them during follow-up observations.     

网络审查与国际贸易法

网络是一个全球性市场。网络尤其是互联网商务发展迅速,并处于(覆盖绝大多数跨境商业模式的)传统贸易规制框架之外。随着网络市场规模的不断增长,对总体经济的贡献越来越突出,人们也越来越关心对它的监管问题,如对其采取贸易限制措施、破坏电子商务领域的贸易、投资、信息服务及网络交易环境等。一种典型的监管方式是网络屏蔽。     

盗窃罪犯罪客体及对象研究

盗窃罪的犯罪客体是他人对公私财产的占有权利而非所有权,因为所有权资格在法律上不可能被非法改变,盗窃行为所(欲)影响或者改变的,只是他人对财物的占有状态,不管他人对于财物的占有是什么性质的占有,盗窃犯罪都是对他人行使占有权的妨害。占有权能够直观反映出盗窃犯罪侵害的社会关系。     

论盗窃虚拟财产的定性

以非法获取计算机信息系统数据罪定性盗窃虚拟财产的行为虽然符合罪刑法定原则的要求,但该罪名不能反映犯罪目的,盗窃虚拟财产的行为也没有扰乱公共秩序,虚拟财产具有价值,也可脱离受害者的控制,并能被盗窃者实际控制,符合盗窃罪的要求,盗窃者如果具有永久性剥夺受害人虚拟财产的犯罪意图的,应该以盗窃罪追究其刑事责任,域外的实践也将盗窃虚拟财产的行为定性为盗窃罪.盗窃虚拟财产的行为也可能构成盗窃罪、侵犯通信自由罪、非法获取计算机信息系统数据罪与破坏计算机信息系统罪,属想象竞合犯.     

Establishing Connections: Gender,Motor Vehicle Theft,and Disposal Networks

Motor vehicle theft is an offense typically dominated by male offenders. As with all other major forms of criminal activity that are male dominated, women do participate in the theft of vehicles; yet, few studies have endeavored to examine their involvement in auto theft and even fewer have directly compared women's experiences alongside that of men's. This paper examines the gendered nature of motor vehicle theft through direct comparison of in‐depth interviews with 35 men and women actively involved in auto theft in St. Louis, Missouri. By tracing similarities and differences between men's and women's initiation into auto theft, enactment methods, and access to networks for vehicle and parts' disposal, we provide a contextual analysis of offender's perceptions and behavior. The findings indicate that while initiation into auto theft and property disposal networks are both governed by male gatekeepers, women experience greater barriers in gaining access to disposal networks than they do entry into auto theft offending which, in turn, leads to some key similarities in techniques between men and women.     

论宪法法院审查制的成因

一、宪法法院审查制的现状及基本特色在宪法中最早明确规定设立宪法法院的国家,是1920年的奥地利共和国。此后,这类违宪审查体制在欧洲大陆法系国家迅速发展起来。除原来的一批欧洲国家如联邦德国、意大利、奥地利、西班牙、土耳其等比较早地实行这类体制外,原苏联的加盟共和国在苏联解体而独立后,其中的一些国家也设立了宪法法院。东欧和南欧原来的一些社会主义国家为配合最高国家权力机关实施宪法监督权,同时也基于地域和理念的因素,曾经设立了宪法法院,实行不完全的宪法法院审查制,如南斯拉夫、捷克斯洛伐克等,这些国家在剧变后更建立了完全的宪法法院审查制。身处亚洲的韩国,由于在法律理念上更接近于德国,于1988年成立了宪法法院,实行与德国相类似的宪法法院审查制。目前世界上实行这类体制的国家为40余个。该体制以德国为代表,故被称之为"德国型",同时因其具有现代理念,又被称为"现代型"、"宪法秩序保障型"。