Act and omission,mens rea,and complicity: Approaches to codification

This article is an updated and edited version of a briefing paper prepared for a seminar on The Structure of Conduct and Blame, Including Duties and Secondary Liability, at the first conference of the Society for the Reform of Criminal Law, Inns of Court, London, England, July 26–29, 1987.     

美国刑法中犯意要求边缘化研究

作为基本概念范畴,犯意长期以来在美国刑法中扮演十分重要的角色,但随着时代的发展和法定犯罪主导地位的稳固,犯意的核心概念色彩开始在大量犯罪当中淡化,而对于这种边缘化趋势的考察,首先需要从美国刑法中自然犯罪与法定犯罪的二元区分模式入手,通过对犯意边缘化前提条件的框定,明确其不同维度的区分,从而在此基础上对美国刑法犯意边缘化加以具体刻画和分析,由此探知这样一种动态变化背后的深层次原因。     

Alleged brain damage, diminished capacity, mens rea, and misuse of medical concepts.

As focus on the insanity defense diminishes, defendants may place emphasis on a lack of knowing or purposeful behavior in order to negate a criminal charge. This use of a mens rea defense in accord with Model Penal Code principles is exemplified by the current New Jersey statute. Such a defense may result in a lesser charge or a finding of not guilty. In addition to reviewing applicable law, this report presents a sex offense case in which remote brain damage was invoked as a purported basis for incapacity to formulate the required intent; the study also raises the issue of the inappropriate or questionable use of medical principles, a practice that diminishes professional credibility in the courts and in the community.     

Civil commitment and the criminal insanity plea in Israeli law

In Israeli jurisprudence there is a substantial difference towards mentally ill patients between the civil and penal law systems that goes well beyond differences required by their separate objectives. Mentally ill people dangerous to others due to their illness belong in the hospital, not in the community or in jail. The data gathered especially for this paper make it hard to escape the conclusion that contemporary practice in Israel does not accord with this objective. On the civil front, inaccuracy in predicting who is dangerous may lead to involuntary commitment of people who are not dangerous. On the criminal side, too few people are sent to the hospital in Israel and correspondingly too many to jail. Comparison with US data and practice shows that on the civil side prediction has been improved by using actuarial methods, while on the penal side more up to date definitions of mental illness have been adopted. Whatever the appropriate solution for Israel, surely the first requirement is recognition of the problem.     

Competition law enforcement under informational asymmetry

China-EU Law Journal - Competition law enforcement, whether by public officials, private parties and consumers or the courts, has to resolve informational and resource asymmetries. Current EU...     

Co-ownership of patents under German law

Legal context: Co-ownership of patents is a specific form of entitlement toa patent. Thus, it stands in the legal context of the questionof who may benefit from an invention and a patent, but alsoof who has to bear the costs of it. Parties to a co-ownershipare free to determine the terms of their co-ownership. If theydo not enter into specific agreements, the statutory rules—inGermany the rules of the community of part owners—apply. Key points: The article describes the most important aspects where Germanstatutory rules do not usually address the needs of the co-owners. Practical significance: Parties are advised to agree on these points before disputesarise. In particular, they should agree on the terms of thedefence, enforcement, and exploitation of their patent. Thisapplies especially against the background of the increasingnumber and importance of joint research and development projectsand patents resulting from them.     

论依法行政下的行政权

依法治国的关键是依法行政.现时的中国,由于历史和现实原因,学术界对依法行政已达成共识,即加强对行政权的控制.但行政权的内涵、目的及其运行中具有的特性,要求法律不仅应该为行政权的行使提供保障,而且基于法的阶级意志性及强制性,也必须由法律对行政权的行使予以保障才能实现其运行的目的.     

Drug testing sworn law enforcement officers: One agency's experience

The use of drug testing to detect drug use and to screen prospective employees has become commonplace in many occupations, both in the public and private sector. Due to the sensitive nature of their duties, drug testing in law enforcement agencies has become nearly universal, especially as a tool to screen applicants. Despite the fact that many large agencies routinely use drug testing, relatively little is known about the rate at which officers test positive for drug use, characteristics of officers who test positive, nor the drug of choice among currently employed sworn law enforcement personnel. The purpose of this article is to discuss various issues related to drug testing in the workplace and to explore one agency's experience with randomized drug testing of its sworn officers.     

Credit card fraud under Chinese criminal law

Credit card fraud is a new type of fraud amended into the Criminal Law of China in 1997. The “credit card” under credit card fraud is interpreted as a very board concept, which includes debit card and virtually all electronic payment cards used in ordinary payment, credit loan, transfer and settlement of account, cash deposit and withdrawal. Therefore, it is necessary for the legislature to revise “credit card” under this special fraud into “electronic payment card,” and “credit card fraud” into “electronic payment card fraud,” which will be understood easily and precisely. “Use” and “fraudulent use” of credit card under this fraud is defined as ordinary use of credit card, including withdrawal cash with authentic or forged credit card from ATMs. It is unreasonable to define “malicious overdraft” as a form of credit card fraud under the Chinese Criminal Law. In the future amendment, this kind of criminal conduct shall be separated as independent named as “malicious overdraft” or “abuse of credit card” under the Criminal Law with less stiff statutory punishment than that of credit card fraud. Besides, under the Chinese Criminal Law, stealing credit card and using it is held as “theft,” which is neither reasonable nor logical. Therefore, it should be revised in the future criminal law.