Public Perceptions of the Legitimacy of the Law and Legal Authorities: Evidence from the Caribbean

Research on procedural justice and legitimacy has expanded greatly across the social sciences in recent years. The process‐based model of regulation, which links people's assessments of procedural justice and legitimacy to their compliance with the law and legal authorities, has become particularly influential in criminology and sociolegal studies. A review of the previous research on perceived legitimacy highlights two important features. First, legitimacy has been conceptualized and measured in many different ways. Second, most of the research on legitimacy has focused on only a handful of developed nations. Using survey data from Trinidad and Tobago, this article examines the conceptualization and measurement of the perceived legitimacy of the law and legal authorities. The findings indicate that some of the prominent conceptual and measurement models used in previous research are not empirically valid in the Trinidadian context. The implications of the results for conceptualization, theory, and future research are discussed.     

The Tort Remedy in Search and Seizure Cases: A Case Study in Juror Decision Making

Civil suits for damage awards against police officers alleged to have engaged in illegal searches have long been suggested as an alternative to the exclusionary rule as a remedy for police misconduct. A review of empirical literature on the incidence and outcomes of such suits suggests that defendant officers often prevail and that the awards do not seem large enough to produce the punishment and deterrence effect often claimed by proponents of the tort remedy. Using an experimental technique involving simulated trials and adults called for jury service as subjects, we examine the effects of two procedural aspects of such suits on juror awards. The extent of municipal liability and the substitution of the U.S. government as plaintiff do not appear to affect the incidence or size of compensatory or punitive damage awards. Denying jurors information about the outcome of the search does appear likely to increase damage awards. The article both explores factors affecting juror decision-making in these cases and illustrates the utility and limitations of the experimental method for testing suggested policy innovations.     

Group Differences in Fairness Perceptions and Decision Making in Voting Rights Cases

Participants recruited from one Historically Black University (HBU) and two predominantly White higher-education institutions evaluated and decided simulated voting rights case summaries in which the plaintiff was either a racially-defined (African American) or a nonracially-defined (farmers) minority group. Contrary to social identity and social justice findings of an in-group bias, the present study showed greater support at all institutions for the voting rights of the African Americans than for the rural farmers, and the greatest support for both minority groups was found at the HBU. Perceived evidence strength was a better predictor of decisions than perceived unfairness, and both of these predictor variables completely mediated the effects of institution-type and involvement of a racially-defined group on decisions.     

死刑案件中刑事和解的正当性探究

刑事和解与刑法理论相契合,与法治环境相融合,与多元化的利益需求和和谐社会的构建相吻合,并与刑事附带民事诉讼制度以及刑事被害人国家补偿制度存在功能上的互补。据此,刑事和解制度具有普遍正当性。死刑案件中的刑事和解与＂以钱买命＂存在的本质区别决定了二者不能混为一谈。刑事和解与司法腐败没有必然联系。刑事和解是限制死刑适用的有效途径。＂重罪不和解＂的观念存在正当性缺失。据此,死刑案件中的刑事和解具有特殊正当性。在刑事和解制度被法律明文规定之前,死刑案件中的刑事和解应被视为限制死刑适用的酌定量刑情节。     

The Effects of Rehabilitative Voir Dire on Juror Bias and Decision Making

During voir dire, judges frequently attempt to “rehabilitate” venirepersons who express an inability to be impartial. Venirepersons who agree to ignore their biases and base their verdict on the evidence and the law are eligible for jury service. In Experiment 1, biased and unbiased mock jurors participated in either a standard or rehabilitative voir dire conducted by a judge and watched a trial video. Rehabilitation influenced insanity defense attitudes and perceptions of the defendant’s mental state, and decreased scaled guilt judgments compared to standard questioning. Although rehabilitation is intended to correct for partiality among biased jurors, rehabilitation similarly influenced biased and unbiased jurors. Experiment 2 found that watching rehabilitation did not influence jurors’ perceptions of the judge’s personal beliefs about the case.     

对刑法中法律拟制正当性质疑之辨析

学者对刑法中法律拟制的“正当性”提出了各种质疑,但法律拟制绝非学界所批判的那般一无是处或不可容忍.法律拟制虽然重视刑法的社会保护机能,但也绝不漠视刑法的人权保障机能.法律拟制既不违背罪刑法定形式侧面的要求,也不违背罪刑法定实质侧面的要求.法律拟制也并不因主观归罪或客观归罪而违反了主客观相统一原则.法律拟制条款具备独立的构成要件体系,其与基本规定的构成要件并行不悖.刑法中的法律拟制在具有法律经济性等优点的同时,也确实会产生违背刑法的机能、加剧重刑主义、侵蚀罪刑均衡之基本原则,以及导致司法实践的混乱等“威胁”,但这些“威胁”实际上均是因不恰当地设置法律拟制所致.我们应当认识到,法律拟制是由于立法者有时没有严格遵循法律拟制应有的设置规则和要求,才导致某些法律拟制设置得不合理.     

Decision Making at the Firm Level: The of a Criminal Legal Aid Case Management System

The Criminal Legal Aid System, in Scotland as in England, is under severe economic strain. A key element in the legal profession's response should be reliance on IT in improving the efficiency of criminal legal aid case management. This paper is a work-in-progress report on our involvement (under a Teaching Company Scheme Project) with a Glasgow criminal practice and their use of an existing case management and automation tool. Although the focus of the research is on improving the scope of the present system, our work has involved us in an exploration of decision-making processes at the level of the firm and the role of computerisation and automation at all levels in the firm. More specifically, our investigations focus on the interaction of the fee earners and paralegals in the use they make of information and how, applying management science techniques, they could improve on that use. This in turn led to a reconsideration of how the case management system uses information available to the differing levels of “decision makers” within the firm. This creates an interesting contrast with the “decision making” process at the level of adjudication.     

Courts,Criminal Process,and AIDS: The Institutionalization of Culture in Legal Decision Making*

This study views legal process as part of an interactive web of social and cultural relationships. While law may create public policy, its own creation is part of a complex system of institutional deference and subjective behaviors which reflect a larger cultural context. The fears engendered by AIDS help to highlight the underlying cultural biases and patterns of disease scare management ingrained in legal policymaking. These patterns are again enhanced when placed in a criminal context where the resident focus is one of controlling those who precipitate anxiety. Using a method of qualitative comparative analysis, this study concludes that the historical patterns of bias and institutional deference in disease scare management continues in modern criminal court process.     

Epistemological Dilemmas in the Assessment of Legal Decision Making

Law and Human Behavior -     

Double Discounting: The Effects of Comparative Negligence on Mock Juror Decision Making

Two experiments were conducted to ascertain the effects of comparative negligence on damage awards. Participants awarded damages for a mock medical malpractice case in which the level of the plaintiff's negligence was varied. Both experiments showed that damage awards were doubly discounted for partially negligent plaintiffs. Experiment 1 also found that the responses of college students did not differ from those of people who had been called for jury duty. Experiment 2 examined four components of the damage award and showed that the reduction due to the level of the plaintiff's negligence occurred only in damages for bodily harm. Implications for the judicial system are discussed.     

Decision Making in Sexual Assault Cases:

Those who champion the recruitment of minorities and women to the bench argue that black and female judges could bring about important policy changes. This study compared decision making by black and white and by male and female judges in sexual assault cases disposed of in Detroit Recorder's Court from 1976 to 1985. We found no racial differences and very few gender differences. The only exception was that female judges imposed longer prison sentences than did male judges. Considered together, the findings are indicative of the powerful influence of socialization on the legal profession and on the judicial role.     

Perceptions of Legitimacy: The Sex of the Legal Messenger and Reactions to Sexual Harassment Training

Research shows that exposure to sexual harassment policy sometimes activates traditional gender stereotypes. This article examines whether the sex of the legal messenger moderates reactions to the enforcement of sexual harassment laws. We employ a 2 × 2 experimental design in which we measure the effect of a sexual harassment policy intervention on male participants’ gender beliefs. The design varies whether the person communicating the policy information is male or female. We find that female policy trainers activate implicit gender stereotypes, but explicit gender egalitarian beliefs. Other than improving men's perceptions of women's considerateness, the policy has little effect on beliefs in the conditions with a male trainer. These results suggest that the effect of law on social change is contingent on characteristics of the legal messengers. Findings contribute to our understanding of gender inequality and legitimacy processes and have practical implications for implementing effective policy.     

再论刑事立案法律监督之完善

刑事立案监督是人民检察院进行法律监督的重要组成部分,也是启动刑事诉讼程序的关键环节,它对规范刑事立案权的正确行使,纠正立案活动中的违法行为具有重要的作用,但目前司法实践存在不少问题影响了检察机关实施刑事立案监督工作取得的预期法律效果。主要从我国立法关于检察机关刑事立案监督的程序规定入手,对刑事立案监督的对象、范围、标准以及具体实施中的一些问题进行了探讨,并结合我国司法实践和现实需要,从其价值实现角度提出立法必须明确刑事立案监督对象、完善刑事立案监督范围、建立专门刑事立案监督部门、完善刑事立案监督程序、完善刑事立案监督标准等。     

A Third Verdict Option: Exploring the Impact of the Not Proven Verdict on Mock Juror Decision Making

In most adversarial systems, jurors in criminal cases consider the binary verdict alternatives of "Guilty" and "Not guilty." However, in some circumstances and jurisdictions, a third verdict option is available: Not Proven. The Not Proven verdict essentially reflects the view that the defendant is indeed culpable, but that the prosecution has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Like a Not Guilty verdict, the Not Proven verdict results in an acquittal. The main aim of the two studies reported here was to determine how, and under what circumstances, jurors opt to use the Not Proven verdict across different case types and when the strength of the evidence varies. In both studies, jurors were more likely to choose a Not Proven verdict over a Not Guilty verdict when the alternative was available. When evidence against the defendant was only moderately strong and a Not Proven verdict option was available (Study 2), there was also a significant reduction in the conviction rate. Results also showed that understanding of the Not Proven verdict was poor, highlighting inadequacies in the nature of judicial instructions relating to this verdict.     

Psychological Injuries and Legal Decision Making in Civil Cases: What We Know and What We Do not Know

Civil plaintiffs frequently seek monetary compensation for their psychological injuries. Despite the increased study of psychological injury within the legal system, there has been little empirical examination of how psychological injury evidence impacts legal decisions. To illuminate what is known (and not known) on this topic, this paper reviews legal and empirical research regarding how legal decision makers (judges and jurors) perceive and use psychological injury evidence to render civil judgments. A few themes emerged from this review: (1) Courts generally devalue psychological injury, often making it difficult for plaintiffs to pursue and succeed on these claims; (2) these difficulties are a likely byproduct of legal decision-makers’ misperceptions of mental illness; and (3) despite a recent surge in empirical research on how jurors perceive and use psychological injury evidence to render civil decisions, many unexplored areas remain. Specific recommendations for legal policy and suggestions for future research are highlighted throughout this review.     

Criminal Decision Making: The Development of Adolescent Judgment,Criminal Responsibility,and Culpability

Theories of judgment in decision making hypothesize that throughout adolescence, judgment is impaired because the development of several psychosocial factors that are presumed to influence decision making lags behind the development of the cognitive capacities that are required to make mature decisions. This study uses an innovative video technique to examine the role of several psychosocial factors—temporal perspective, peer influence, and risk perception—in adolescent criminal decision making. Results based on data collected from 56 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 years revealed that detained youth were more likely to think of future-oriented consequences of engaging in the depicted delinquent act and less likely to anticipate pressure from their friends than nondetained youth. Examination of the developmental functions of the psychosocial factors indicates age-based differences on standardized measures of temporal perspective and resistance to peer influence and on measures of the role of risk perception in criminal decision making. Assessments of criminal responsibility and culpability were predicted by age and ethnicity. Implications for punishment in the juvenile justice system are discussed.     

刑事判决的合法性诉求

在现代社会中,对刑事案件的审理和裁判是审判机关所垄断的一项重要活动,因此刑事审判权在本质上是一种国家权力,社会控制是这种国家权力的一种基本功能.相应地,刑事判决也便成为社会控制的重要手段.而这种社会控制机制的运作效果,在很大程度上不是决定于刑事判决强制力的程度,而是取决于刑事判决能否得到社会公众(包括当事人等)的认同和服从.因此,刑事判决必须获得合法性.     

刑事法律援助在我国的发展瓶颈及完善

自1996年《刑事诉讼法》涉及法律援助内容后,刑事法律援助在我国作为法律援助的重要组成部分发展起来,特别是《法律援助条例》颁布实施后,刑事法律援助更为规范地在各地实施,全国办理了大量的刑事案件,维护了刑事被追诉人及被害人的权益。但在刑事法律援助的发展过程中,也遇到一些问题,亟需理论界和实务界给与更多的关注,加以解决完善。