英国精神病法庭辩护简介

在英国，精神科医生常常以专家证人的身份涉入诉讼，提供专家证言。如果专家的证言对自己的辩护有利，律师会在法庭上出具专家证言或安排专家出庭作证；否则，证言将不被提交法庭。陪审团根据专家证言的说服力决定是否采纳。控辩双方都可以聘请专家证人。理论上，控辩双方都可以找到支持自己主张的专家证言。当双方所聘请的专家意见相左时，由陪审团做出取舍，法庭据此做出判决。当然，由于陪审团成员缺乏精神病学的专业知识，在取舍时也很困难。     

证人出庭作证的权益保障机制研究——以新《刑事诉讼法》为视角

证人是知道有关案件情况并提供证言的人。证人要如实提供证言,如果作伪证或隐匿罪证,要负法律责任。对于证人证言,必须在法庭上经过控辩双方的质证并且查证属实之后,才能作为定案的根据。由于证人当庭所做的证言与庭前证言笔录在证据能力上都不受明显的限制,法庭很少传召证人出庭作证,对大多数证人证言都是通过宣读证言笔录的方式进行法庭调查的。结果是多数证人不出庭作证,     

刑事证人出庭作证程序设计与论证

一、设计刑事证人出庭作证程序的说明 刑事案件开庭审理过程中,知晓案件情况的证人出席法庭,以口头言词的形式就自己所了解的案件事实向法庭作如实的陈述,并接受控辩双方以辩驳、质询的方式进行质证,或者法官以询问的方式进行审查的诉讼活动,即为证人出庭作证程序.证人证言,是我国刑事诉讼法规定的七种法定证据之一,在我国刑事证据体系中占有重要的位置.无论英美法系还是大陆法系国家,在刑事诉讼中,证人证言都是被应用得最为广泛、最为普遍的一种证据.根源在于,犯罪是一种社会现象,刑事案件一经发生,往往会被周围的人所感知.而知情者对于有关犯罪现象的陈述,则是证人证言普遍存在的客观基础.     

初探刑事诉讼中证人出庭作证制度

一、刑事诉讼中证人出庭作证的重要意义新刑事诉讼法对人民法院庭审方式作了重要修改 ,使之进一步完善。新审判方式的重要特点是 ,由控辩双方向法庭出示证据 ,对证人证言质证 ,展开法庭辩论 ,法官从中查清起诉事实 ,核实并认定证据 ,进而依法做出公正的判决。证人在新审判方式中发挥重要作用 ,尽管原刑事诉讼法也规定“证人证言必须在法庭上经过公诉人、被害人和被告人、辨护人双方讯问 ,质证 ,听取各方证人的证言并经过查实以后 ,才能作为定案的根据 ,但在审判实践中 ,按原审判方式 ,审判人员对人民检察院提起公诉的案件 ,经过审查 ,认为犯…     

论适用专家证据的有用性标准

正在英美法系国家,专家证据制度已成为理论界和实务界共同研究的重点问题之一。2012年3月我国修改后的《中华人民共和国刑事诉讼法》(以下简称新刑诉法)对我国司法鉴定制度作了一些重要修改,如将"鉴定结论"修改为"鉴定意见",并新增规定了控辩双方享有聘请专家证人的权利等。但在什么情况下,法庭应同意控辩双方的申请允许专家证人出庭作证?又应以什么样的标准来采纳专家证据?或许,英     

以审判为中心呼唤科学的交叉询问规则

2015年11月，在周文斌案第二季庭审中，被告人周文斌的辩护人之一清华大学法学院易延友教授对出庭证人胡彪斌的当庭询问引发广泛关注。笔者认为，在我国未来的刑事法庭上，交叉询问能否成为常态，应当成为衡量“推进以审判为中心的诉讼制度改革”成败的重要标志。这是因为：以审判为中心，必然要求法院在案件事实的认定上，不能再对侦查阶段控诉方收集的有罪证据材料照单全收，而是要求法官在法庭上通过法定的证据调查程序对控诉方向法庭提交的证据材料进行审查、核实，切实承担起对控诉方指控犯罪的证据材料有无证据能力和证明力的守门员职责。在对证人证言的法庭调查中，如果仅以侦查阶段控诉方收集的以书面笔录形式存在的证人证言为调查的对象，那么所谓的法庭证据调查就很难发挥真正的作用，因为仅凭一份书面的证言笔录是很难准确判断其真假的。在证人来到法庭时，控辩双方应当按照何种规则对证人进行发问，裁判者应当根据何种规则行使庭审指挥权从而规范控辩双方对证人的询问，是我国交叉询问规则必须回答的问题。     

论英美法上的意见证据

随着庭审改革的深入和证据制度的建构,法庭渐渐成为控辩双方展示证据的舞台,也成为法官审查证据、决定案件事实的主要场所。特别是在证人作证中,双方律师的交叉询问会把事实问题变得异常复杂,哪些证言不具有相关性,哪些证言不具有可采性,都需要将来制定的证据规则进行合理取舍。意见证据是其中不能回避的一个问题,这在英美国家已经形成了较为丰富的理论。他山之石,可以攻玉,希望笔者对英美证据法上意见证据及其相关原理的介评,能对我国建构证据规则有所裨益。一、意见证据与意见证据规则在英美国家,证人作证的一般原则是证人必须以口头方式…     

法院的专家:英国专家证人权责的重塑及启示

在英国,专家在参与法院审判时至少曾分别扮演过以下四个角色:当事人的专家、特别陪审团、技术陪审员和法庭专家,这一发展脉络与诉讼中查明事实的主导权之变化及对抗制的确立和发展有关.近年来,英国民事司法改革通过限制专家证据的运用、强调专家对法院之职责以及限制专家证言的适用,重塑了专家证人的权利和责任——"法院的专家"成为专家证...     

刑诉法再修改应完善证人保护制度

证人证言是我国刑事诉讼法明确规定的证据种类之一。因其本身具有较强的中立性、客观性，也较为生动和具体，在刑事诉讼中颇为重视。但司法实践中，证人出庭作证的却少之又少，大多以控辩双方宣读证人证言的形式参与法庭质证，这大大降低了证人证言的可信度和证明力，不利于查明事实和真相。究其原因，最重要的是未能确立较为完善的证人保护机制。因此，当前刑诉法再修改，应把完善证人保护制度作为一个重要内容。     

论对抗制与职权制

对抗制是指在普通法系国家中,争论双方于居中审判的法官或者陪审团前表明自己观点,并由其做出其认为符合事实公正的裁决的一种诉讼模式。这种制度在刑事审判中则表现为控辩双方的对立,只要当最有说服力的一方能让法官或者陪审团员们相信其对案件的论点即是真相时,正义就被认为得到了伸张。职权制则是指法庭积极参与案件事实的调查的一种诉讼模式,多被运用于民法法系国家的司法体系之中。     

Fatal poisoning in drug addicts in the Nordic countries in 2007

The frequency of medico-legally examined fatal poisonings in 2007 among drug addicts was investigated in five Nordic countries; Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The number of deaths, age, sex, place of death, main intoxicant, and other drugs present in blood samples were recorded to obtain national and comparable Nordic data, as well as data to compare with earlier studies in 2002, 1997, and 1991. Norway had the highest incidence of drug addict deaths by poisoning followed by Denmark, with 8.24 and 6.92 per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. The death rates in Finland (4.02), Iceland (4.56), and Sweden (3.53) were about half that of Norway and Denmark. Compared with earlier studies, the death rates were unchanged in Denmark and Norway, but increased in Finland, Iceland, and Sweden. In all countries, fewer deaths (29-35%) were recorded in the capital area compared with earlier studies. Females accounted for 11-19% of the fatal poisonings. Iceland deviates with a more equal distribution between men and women (40%). Deaths from methadone overdoses increased in all Nordic countries, and methadone was the main intoxicant in Denmark in 2007, accounting for 51% of the poisonings. In Norway and Sweden, heroin/morphine was still the main intoxicant with a frequency of 68% and 48%, respectively. In Iceland, 3 deaths each were due to heroin/morphine and methadone, respectively. Finland differs from other Nordic countries in having a high number of poisonings caused by buprenorphine and very few caused by heroin/morphine. The total number of buprenorphine deaths in Finland doubled from 16 in 2002 to 32 in 2007, where it constituted 25% of deaths. The general toxicological screening program showed widespread multi-drug use in all countries. The median number of drugs per case varied from 3 to 5. The most frequently detected substances were heroin/morphine, methadone, buprenorphine, tramadol, amphetamine, cocaine, tetrahydrocannabinol, benzodiazepines and ethanol.     

2008年中国法治亮点巡礼

2008年，是中国法治进程稳步推进和稳健发展的一年，也是法治亮点频频闪现的一年。2008年的立法景观依然多姿多彩，科学立法、民主立法继续推进，公民对立法工作的有序参与进一步扩大，已出台的十一届全国人大常委会立法规划值得人们期待。此外，实施不久的《政府信息公开条例》、全面开展的监狱体制改革，以及此起彼伏的问责风暴等都是值得我们关注的法治亮点。     

Trends in Non-Muslim Divorces in Singapore

This article examines the trends and patterns in the way thesecular divorce law has been utilized by couples in Singaporeseeking to end their marriage. Social and demographic featuresof the divorcing couples, as well as the ‘fact’relied on in support of their divorce petitions, are studiedand compared to earlier analyses. It is found that while somepatterns observed by earlier researchers have remained intact,others have changed. This article suggests explanations forthese observed patterns and contributes to the discussion onwhether and how the divorce law can be improved in Singaporeand elsewhere.     

Drugs in injured drivers in Denmark

As part of the project Impaired Motorists, Methods of Roadside Testing and Assessment for Licensing (IMMORTAL) under the European Commission's Transport RTD Programme of the 5th Framework Programme [I.M. Bernhoft, Drugs in accidents involved drivers in Denmark, D-R4.3 of the project Impaired Motorists, Methods Of Roadside Testing and Assessment for Licensing (IMMORTAL), www.immortal.or.at, 2005], a study regarding drugs in accident-involved drivers was carried out in Denmark. The main objectives of this study were: (1) to collect and analyse samples from injured drivers for the presence of drugs; (2) to give an indication whether drugs may have contributed to traffic accidents; and (3) to get information on the drug-positive drivers and their drug use. This paper focuses on objective 1. Injured drivers who were treated in hospital were asked to give a saliva sample, a blood sample or both. The samples were screened for the following substances: opiates, amphetamines, methamphetamines, incl. MDMA (ecstasy), cannabinoids and metabolites, cocaine and metabolites and benzodiazepines. Screenings were carried out by means of Cozart Microplate EIA kit. Positive screenings were confirmation analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) or liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). In total, 26 out of 330 patients were confirmed positive for one or more of the six drug groups. However, three patients were excluded from the survey for various reasons. Of the remaining 23 drug-positive patients 15 were found positive for one drug group, and in five of these cases alcohol was present in a concentration over the legal limit in Denmark (0.05%). The other eight patients were found positive for two drug groups, and in four of these cases, alcohol was also present in a concentration over the legal limit. Alcohol was found both in combinations with medicinal drugs, with illegal drugs and with both. Based on the saliva or blood concentrations, we estimate that there is a strong suspicion of impairment in 9 out of 23 cases, and in another six cases it was likely that the drivers were impaired.     

Competence in caring in legal practice

This article is concerned with the stories of female solicitors working in Queensland, Australia, and their account of ethics in practice. These narratives were sought and made in the context of our project investigating complaints received against practitioners in this jurisdiction. Our interviews with female lawyers were intended to provide more insight into complaints matters. Yet this discussion revealed broader insights into ethical questions about the nature of lawyer–client relationships and legal professionalism. This article considers these accounts by reflecting on the concept of ‘care’ and its fit with legal practice requirements today. In doing so, we consider the difficult gendered question of the relationship between caring and ‘women's’ practice. We do not assert a true woman's working style; we seek to contextualise our empirical research by tracing the complex effect of gender on lawyering roles. Finally, we suggest that the adoption of caring practice is a valid approach to lawyering and call for a caring approach to be re-valued in the legal professional context as an ethical proposition.     

Differences in female and male involvement in lethal violence in Russia

Relatively little is known of the distributions of homicide event characteristics in non-Western nations in which women relative to men are involved. This article utilizes unique homicide narratives drawn from Russian court and police records to compare homicide victim, offender, and event characteristics by sex of victim and separately by sex of offender. Results from logistic regression show that homicides in which a female was the victim or offender were more likely to occur between intimates and to occur in the home, whereas homicides involving males were more likely to occur in a public place, to be alcohol-related, to involve a firearm, and to involve a victim and offender who did not know each other well. These results not only present an important first glimpse at women as homicide victims and offenders in Russia specifically, but also provide a point of comparison with findings from similar analyses undertaken in the West, and present further initial observations upon which to construct a cohesive theory about female involvement in serious violent events.     

Trustees in Cyprus regulated in 2007

Trust and company service providers in Cyprus are followingin the footsteps of their European counterparts and will toobe regulated at the beginning of 2007.