Consequences of restitution

A group of 419 adult property offenders granted probation and ordered to repay their victims for the direct monetary losses or property damage incurred as a result of their crime were matched on 28 variables to a group of 179 offenders who were not ordered to pay restitution to their victims. Compared to those not ordered to repay their victims, the offenders ordered to pay restitution had a more difficult probation experience, having more revocations filed against them and showing a greater frequency of reporting, physical health, and money problems. No difference in arrest rate or time on probation was discovered. Those offenders ordered to pay restitution but who did not pay in full had the greatest problems of all, showing the highest revocation filing and actual revocation rate, rate of convictions, and time served. Payment characteristics were described for offenders who paid all, part, or none of their restitution debt by probation's end. It was suggested that closer probation officer scrutiny of offenders ordered to pay restitution may have accounted for the more difficult experience of the restitution group and that cost of administration of restitution programs may not be worth the benefits.This research was funded in part by grant No. 76-ED-99-0027 from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. Special thanks are given the directors of Denver District Court Probation, without whose permission to enter the probation archives, and without whose day-to-day cooperation, this study would have been impossible.     

创新理念 面向未来——学习社会主义法治理念的初步体会

中央关于在全体政法干警中开展社会主义法治理念教育的决定,是加强政法队伍思想政治建设的重要举措。通过初步学习,结合法律出版工作,谈一点体会:一、社会主义法治理念是确立我国政法意识形态的理论基石,是政法队伍建设和政法工作带有根本性的指导思想中央鲜明提出“政法意识形     

Criminalization and the Collateral Consequences of Conviction

Convicted offenders face a host of so-called “collateral” consequences: formal measures such as legal restrictions on voting, employment, housing, or public assistance, as well as informal consequences such as stigma, family tensions, and financial insecurity. These consequences extend well beyond an offender’s criminal sentence itself and are frequently more burdensome than the sentence. This essay considers two respects in which collateral consequences may be relevant to the question of what the state should, or may, criminalize. First, they may be relevant according to specific accounts of criminalization, including plausible versions of the harm principle and legal moralism. Second, they may be relevant to the legitimacy of state criminalization more generally. Thus for legal theorists concerned with the issue of legitimate criminalization, normative questions raised by collateral consequences are of central importance.     

公务员面临改革的自我心理调适

市场经济的发展要求政府转变其原有的职能,这一转变将会部分地改变政府公务员原有的工作环境、工作内容,客观环境的变化无疑会给公务员的心理带来一定的冲击与震荡。公务员在此变革中如何保持良好的心态,如何有意识地进行自我心理调适,本文将就此问题进行详尽的论述。     

Brick Walls Facing Reentering Offenders

Citizenship is a birthright generally afforded to all members of society. Upon reentry to the community from prison, offenders are expected to assume a citizenship role; however, existing structural barriers, as well as the actions and behaviors of law enforcement and community agencies, may reinforce the outcast persona. The offender needs social and psychological support to sustain a citizenship role, and the conditions of the current criminal justice environment may serve to undermine this support. Borrowing from procedural justice theories, this paper presents some of the sociopolitical challenges to the citizenship goal for offenders and provides some options to create an environment in which the offender can thrive and maintain a role as citizen. This paper also focuses on reducing the churning of offenders and select communities and identifies mechanisms to embrace the citizenship role such as building the self‐efficacy of offenders, employment programs that assist offenders in becoming economically and psychologically independent, and systemic processes to promote fairness and equity.     

面对死刑的人的诉讼权利的保障

面对死刑的人,在检察机关提起公诉前后分别称为“犯罪嫌疑人”和“被告人”。合法、充分保障面对死刑的人的诉讼权利,是有效限制死刑适用的重要方面。我国《刑事诉讼法》对面对死刑的人的诉讼权利保障规定得较为系统,在有些方面已达到国际标准,但在另一些方面还存在差距。为了保障面对死刑的人的人权,需进一步从获知权、辩护权、无罪推定、沉默权等方面加以完善。     

专利权滥用与我国企业的应对策略

权利有可能被滥用,任何权利失去控制与约束都会与制度设置的初衷背道而驰。因此,一个完整的知识产权体系应同时包含对知识产权的保护和限制权利滥用的内容,但是,我国《专利法》乃至知识产权法体系在建立之初主要考虑到对权利人保护的欠缺,而对限制权利滥用的内容考虑的很少,直到近     

世界贸易组织面临的挑战与改革

世界贸易组织(WTO)自成立以来发展的历程从来都不是一帆风顺的。以WTO为代表的多边贸易体制在发展中面临着诸多严峻挑战,正处于十字路口。由于管辖范围不断向纵深发展、成员日益增多,WTO本身组织结构、决策机制等问题日益突出。西雅图会议的失败给WTO敲响了警钟。WTO应进行及时有效的改革,以崭新的面貌迎接新时代的挑战。     

面向证立获致正当性的司法裁决程序

通向司法独立的裁判之道是中外理论家探讨的永恒主题。瓦瑟斯特罗姆教授在《法官如何裁判》中规范性地检视司法裁决的各种可能程序,是对现实司法决策行为的模型整合,在一定程度上提升了司法行为分析的严谨程度。他在批判规则适用导向的形式程序基础上,描绘了由先例程序、衡平程序与两阶程序等替代性方案整合的全景构图,其中最值得称颂、更为可欲的乃是两阶程序。全景司法裁决程序的启动前提为发现的程序,它存在被证伪的可能性,导致唯一正解理念的失败,因而要严格接受审判中心主义下证立程序的客观审查,以防范控制影响因素中的非理性成分。如果借鉴认知心理学的双重加工系统来阐释,就表现为法官慢速的理性思维,来检验快速直觉发现假定结论的过程。作为民主法治国家的司法裁决程序唯有通过充分的证立才能获致正当性与可接受性。充分的证立可通过逻辑、对话、修辞与论题等四种基本进路,给出理由说明以实现裁判的可普遍化。这也恰恰凸显出两阶程序中第二个层次所发挥的核心功用。     

司法决策如何进行后果考量

主张司法决策应当进行必要的后果考量是当前颇有影响力的一种法律思维方式,从个案裁判法律效果与社会效果相统一的目的论来看,"后果主义"似乎是一种更容易在后果意义上证明为正当的方法论思维。然而,从决策的角度来看,既然决策者需要在各种可能的后果之中去追求最可欲的后果,就必然意味着对某种特定后果进行工具性控制的决策逻辑和权力支配...     

论处分查封之物的法律效力

在财产被查封的情形,被执行人或所有权人擅自处分查封之物的,不得对抗执行申请人。查封的对抗效力是法律直接规定的结果,同处分权能和合同效力无关。查封不影响被执行人或所有权人的处分权,也不影响处分查封之物基础合同的法律效力。查封具有禁止处分的法律效果,即被执行人或所有权人不得擅自处分查封之物,否则可能引发公法上的责任。在擅自处分查封之物时,善意取得与公示对抗是两种保护善意第三人的模式。从立法论的角度来看,善意取得规则不应也无须适用于查封之物,否则会影响体系融贯,并导致制度重叠问题。查封制度具有独立的善意第三人保护规则,即查封的公示对抗规则。在公示对抗规则之下,执行申请人和善意第三人的利益得到了妥当平衡。     

浅议面对我国青少年犯罪问题的政府作为

时代高速发展的今日,伴随着人们生活水平的提高的同时,城市犯罪率也节节攀升,而其中犯罪更有向年轻化发展的趋势。犯罪年轻化问题,特别是青少年犯罪,严重威胁了我国的正常运行,具有不可预计的潜在危害性,急需政府采取失当行为应对。究其原因,除了与社会环境、思想观念的变化密切相关外,更涉及社会制度、家庭管理和个人素质等各个层面的原因。政府在面对犯罪年轻化问题时,可通过完善社会制度、改善社会风气、强化各方监督体系等方面加强管理,以减少青少年犯罪为突破口,达到从源头上控制犯罪的目的。