The Salvadoran Criminal Justice System

This research analyzes comparative data on offenders, offenses, sentences, and dispositions for El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the United States. This paper is based upon a larger research project examining political death and homicide in El Salvador through 1984. The analysis examines the effectiveness of the Salvadoran criminal justice system before and after initiation of Its civil war.

The statistics showed that El Salvador's capacity to investigate homicides and detect murder suspects had improved over the last 10 years or so, whereas its ability and length of time to prosecute, try, sentence, and commit offenders had deteriorated over this same period. Substantial numbers of Salvadoran criminals were apprehended, arrested, tried, sentenced, and incarcerated for routine crimes of violence and property. On the other hand virtually none of the perpetrators of thousands of political murders were apprehended by the Salvadoran Government despite the increase in arrest and sentencing for routine homicides. This may be indicative of a lack of commitment by the Salvadoran Government to deal with political killings by death squads.     

Decision Support Within the Criminal Justice System

The Crown Prosecution Service forms a vital component of the criminal justice system, as the chief organization prosecuting on behalf of the State and therefore the public. This paper highlights those areas where the CPS has attracted most criticism, focusing on sources of inconsistency in decision-making and management practices which may be considered inappropriate in the provision of justice. An example of how new technology could be utilized to improve the service provided by the CPS is presented. This would increase consistency of decision-making by introducing an independent assessment of the 'realistic prospect of conviction' test in the form of a decision support system. The various artificial intelligence tools available are discussed, in addition to a brief summary of why a neural network was felt to be the most suitable for the task under consideration. Preliminary results of a practical test, undertaken using archived data collected from various magistrates'courts are disseminated,together with discussion of the issues raised. Key issues concerning the philosophical and social acceptability of utilizing such a system within the Crown Prosecution Service are addressed by reference to correspondence with representatives of various organizations within the criminal justice system. This method is adopted in order to illustrate problems, both real and perceived, with the notion of utilizing technological support in what is a crucial human process.     

Criminal Justice System Involvement Among Homeless Adults

This study characterized the specific offenses for which homeless individuals are arrested and incarcerated. Data were gathered from 581 homeless adults across 6 Oklahoma City shelters. Participants were asked to self-report incarceration history, nights spent in jails and prisons, and the offenses for which they were arrested. Overall, 76% of the sample had ever been arrested. Fifty-seven percent of the sample had been to jail more than 3 times in their lifetime and 13% had ever intentionally been arrested. The most prevalent type of arrest was drug possession (35%), followed by driving under the influence (31%) and disorderly conduct or public drunkenness (28%). Violent arrests, such as assault, robbery, domestic violence, murder, and rape, were the least prevalent type of arrest. In summary, offenses were largely drug and status offenses. These offenses may be prevented through increased substance use treatment accessibility and availability of housing. Policies to increase employment and housing for homeless adults regardless of criminal history should be expanded to reduce the occurrence of justice involvement.     

Modelling Criminal Justice System Costs by Offence

This paper illustrates how to estimate criminal justice system costs by offence type. Criminal justice system costs are all the costs the authorities incur to prevent and investigate crime, prosecute criminals, impose sentences, and take care of victims and offenders. There are two approaches: the break-down and the bottom-up approaches. The break-down approach decomposes the aggregate budget into smaller pieces. The bottom-up approach multiplies known costs per activity by volumes for each activity and offence type. Both approaches can be combined with two types of estimates: incidence-based and prevalence-based estimates. An incidence-based estimate identifies all costs attributable to crimes committed or processed in a specified period regardless of whether these costs exceed this time period. A prevalence-based estimate identifies all costs incurred in a specified period regardless of when the crime was committed or processed. This paper looks at the differences between the two approaches and the two estimates and indicates which combination works best depending on the type of analysis and the availability of data. The methodologies are illustrated using examples from The Netherlands. These examples show that the availability of reliable data is crucial. The more assumptions have to be made, the less reliable the end results. Investing in better data in this area should be a first priority for governments interested in criminal policy evaluation.     

Dealing with Juvenile Offenders in the Criminal Justice System

The treatment of juveniles within the criminal justice systems is a matter of great variety in the 11 European countries studied comparatively. The study focuses on the age of criminal responsibility, ways to divert juvenile offenders from the criminal justice system or avoid criminal justice responses to them, juvenile proceedings and special reactions and sanctions. In spite of different approaches there is a common trend towards preventing juvenile offenders from being treated by criminal courts and being sentenced to criminal sanctions.     

刑事司法改革的断片思考

体制改革是使司法走上正轨的必由之路。在改革过程中,既要找出导致司法腐败、司法不公正、司法无权威等现象的深刻根源,也要重视形成这些现象的直接原因;既要充分考虑到《中共中央关于全面深化改革若干重大问题的决定》提出的各项司法改革措施的难度及其可能造成的负面效应,也要周全设计出相关的应对措施;既要明确长远之计,也要确定当务之急。在当下,就刑事司法而言,最紧迫的改革任务是要针对党政官员干预、罚没收入返还、考核指标泛滥、司法能力低下等问题采取强有力的治理措施。     

刑事诉讼管辖权异议制度研究

刑事诉讼管辖权异议是在刑事诉讼中,当事人在司法机关违背了刑事诉讼法关于管辖的规定,管辖了其无权管辖的案件或者认为其他司法机关更适合管辖的情况下,在法定期限内向有审查权的法院提出要求该司法机关将案件移送有管辖权或更适合管辖的司法机关管辖的主张.我国刑事诉讼中一直没有规定管辖权异议制度,影响了刑事诉讼的公正、顺利进行.有必要建立我国刑事诉讼管辖权异议制度.本文在对相关国家或地区刑事诉讼中管辖权异议制度介绍的基础上,进行合理的借鉴,并结合我国刑事诉讼的现实,建立起我国刑事诉讼管辖权异议制度.     

联合国刑事司法准则与我国刑事法律改革若干问题

1998年10月5日,我国签署了《公民权利和政治权利公约》。该公约最为明确、集中、具体地规定了联合国刑班司法准则．我们有必要将我国的刑事立法与联合国刑事司法准则相对照．寻找差距．并提出改革、完善的具体措施。从而推动我国刑事法律向前发展。试就涉及刑法、刑事诉讼法方面的问题作了一些探讨。     

制度危机与刑事司法系统的应对

随着制度主义在20世纪80年代的复兴,制度作为人类社会生活中一种内生变量所起的重要作用,重新得到了人们的重视。针对制度引发的社会危机,考察了社会危机对刑事司法系统带来的冲击,对刑事司法系统功能失效之原因进行了解析,从刑事司法系统的功能、内在属性等方面入手,探讨了制度引发的社会危机期间刑事司法系统的重新定位和改革措施。     

The Courts in a Fragmented Criminal Justice System

The U.S. President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice under President Johnson in 1967 outlined a central role for courts in the criminal justice system. That role, however, has been somewhat diminished by the dominance of plea bargaining and the legislative enactment of mandatory minimum sentences that limit judges’ discretion. At the same time, judges have become more involved in specialized courts dealing in cases involving drugs and mental illness. A major topic of concern is the lower courts, which in many areas have changed little since the 1960s Commission. In those places, the traditional adversary process is not operating well, with many defendants pleading guilty unnecessarily in a system that may be designed primarily to collect fees. In violent crime cases, the imposition of capital punishment remains a controversial issue for states that is not likely to be resolved by a new national commission. The central court functions of sentencing and overseeing plea bargains are discussed elsewhere in this volume.     

The Prosecution Service Function within the Turkish Criminal Justice System

The national criminal justice system of Turkey is described. Special attention is paid to the Prosecution Service Function within this framework and its relationship to police and courts. The article not only refers to legal provisions but to the factual handling of criminal cases as well.     

The Prosecution Service Function within the Swiss Criminal Justice System

The criminal justice system of Basel is described as a cantonal example for Switzerland. Special attention is paid to the Prosecution Service Function within this framework and its relationship to police and courts. The article not only refers to legal provisions but to the factual handling of criminal cases as well.     

The Impact of DNA Exonerations on the Criminal Justice System

One obvious result of DNA exonerations has been the enactment of legislation regulating postconviction DNA testing. But the impact on our criminal justice system goes beyond formal statutory change. The DNA exonerations are changing attitudes towards the death penalty, are focusing attention on how forensic laboratories operate, and are leading to the stricter scrutiny of forensic science.     

我国刑事审判制度改革前瞻

我国刑事审判程序的设计存在不少疏漏 ,在一定程度上呈现出非理性状态。本文从审判权的归属、简易程序的改造、庭审调查程序的改革、死刑核准权的再配置、审判救济程序的正当化、法官弹劾制度的建构等方面对实现我国刑事审判制度的科学化、理性化进行了论证。     

The Prosecution Service Function within the Croatian Criminal Justice System

The national criminal justice system of Croatia is described. Special attention is paid to the Prosecution Service Function within this framework and its relationship to police and courts. The article not only refers to legal provisions but to the factual handling of criminal cases as well.     

刑事证据视野中的盘查记录

盘查记录有《当场盘问、检查笔录》和《挡获经过(说明)》两种形式,它们在制作主体、形成时间空间、证明内容等方面具有不同特点,之所以如此,源于不同的警务机制。盘查记录的诉讼证据资格不应有任何疑问,这是因为在违法—犯罪二元追诉机制下,刑事立案前的查缉活动由负责日常警务的警察依法进行,由此获得的证据必然具有合法性。在证明作用方面,盘查记录因其证明内容的综合性、直接性和不可替代性,从而具备了很强的诉讼推进能力。从立法完善角度,应当统一盘查记录的形式,规范其制作方式和记载内容,明确盘查记录的诉讼证据地位。