DO CELLMATES MATTER? A CAUSAL TEST OF THE SCHOOLS OF CRIME HYPOTHESIS WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION AND DETERRENCE THEORIES

In the schools of crime hypothesis, social interactions between inmates are assumed to produce criminogenic rather than deterrent prison peer effects, thus implicating them in the persistence of high recidivism rates and null or criminogenic prison effects. We assess the validity of the schools of crime hypothesis by estimating prison peer effects that result from differential cellmate associations in a male, first‐time release cohort from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. To isolate causal prison peer effects in the presence of essential heterogeneity, we use a semiparametric local instrumental variables estimation strategy. Our results do not support the school of crime hypothesis. In our sample, prison peer effects produced in interaction with more criminally experienced cellmates are always null or deterrent rather than criminogenic. Although we do not explicitly test for the operant conditioning mechanisms theorized to underlie social influence in the context of differential association, we argue that, under the assumption that the differential association context relates positively to the direction of peer influence, our universally noncriminogenic estimates exclude direct reinforcement, vicarious reinforcement, and direct punishment as potential drivers of prison peer effects produced in interaction with more criminally experienced cellmates. Our results support the assertion that operant conditioning mechanisms connect differential association and deterrence theories.     

THE ASYMMETRY OF THE WTO DISPUTE SETTLEMENT MECHANISM AND CHINESE STRATEGY： IN WHAT WAYS DO THE SYSTEM AND RESULTS FAVOR COMPLAINANTS？

By referring to 400 WTO cases, this paper reviews the results of WTO dispute settlement proceedings and the systemic causes in order to find out whether the WTO dispute settlement system ＂s results reflect a clear tendency of favoring complainants, and if so, whether the internal asymmetry of the system leads to such results. Based on these findings, and by considering a number of factors, this paper analyses the influence on national interests brought about by such asymmetry, so as to find whether there is a two-way adjustment effect and relative deprivation effect for developing countries. Then, according to the current economic situations of the WTO＇s Asian countries, this paper suggests that the Asian members should reform their policies to overcome the disadvantages of the WTO asymmetric proceedings. In this part, this paper comprehensively evaluates the measure of actively using the WTO dispute settlement system that favors the complainants, in order to develop overseas markets and realize potential benefits of treaty negotiations.     

LEGAL AND REGULATORY MODEL FOR THE AUDIT PROFESSION： THE UK AND CHINESE MODELS COMPARED

The article discusses whether the UK＇s liberal regulatory model for the audit profession could benefit China as it continues its reform towards a western-inspired liberal market economy. China has already carried out substantial reforms.＂ the disaffiliation programme, audit industry consolidation, and the diffusion of international audit norms. However, substantial deficiencies in the Chinese audit profession remain, and corporate audit continues to lack credibility. Adopting a system modelled on that used in the UK could resolve these issues. However, if China chose to adopt the UK＇s liberal regulatory model, it would not only require economic reform, but also structural reform to its political system. This would include removing conflicts of interest between the audit profession and companies controlled by public authorities; the development of an independent self-regulatory system accountable to the judiciary; corporate democratisation; the development of private enforcement and the introduction of an independent judicial system.     

THE REALITIES OF LAW ARE THE WINNING NARRATIVES — BASIC THESES FOR A REALISTIC AND RHETORICAL PHILOSOPHY OF LAW

This article begins explaining the Aristotelian reduction of rhetoric to persuasion, which came to determine Western tradition until modern times. To understand Aristotle’s methodology the author then wants to discuss the concept of enthymeme, the “rhetorical syllogism,” in Aristotle’s own words. In order to try a realistic critique on the Aristotelian rhetoric, more adequate to a rhetoric of modern law, the author will suggest three epistemological points of departure, three theses, and the three levels of rhetoric that support them.     

DO PARENT EDUCATION PROGRAMS PROMOTE HEALTHY POSTDIVORCE PARENTING? CRITICAL DISTINCTIONS AND A REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE

Most parent education programs are designed to improve child well-being following divorce by changing some aspect of parenting. However, there has been relatively little discussion of what aspects of parenting are most critical and the effectiveness of programs to change different aspects of parenting. This paper addresses these issues by: 1. Distinguishing three aspects of post-divorce parenting that have been targeted in parent education programs; 2. Reviewing evidence of the relations between each aspect of parenting and the well-being of children and; 3. Critically reviewing evidence that parent education programs have been successful in changing each aspect of post-divorce parenting.     

GLOBALIZATION OF LAW： A CHINESE PERSPECTIVE ENCOUNTER： HOW DUNCAN KENNEDYAND CHINESE LEGAL SCHOLARS VIEW LEGAL TRANSPLANTS AND THE RULE OF LAW -- A COMMENTARY ON THE HARVARD-RENMIN VIRTUAL WORKSHOP ON DUNCAN KENNEDY＇S THREE GLOBALIZATIONS OF LAW AND LEGAL THOUGHT

Concerned about China＇s future, a panel of Chinese legal scholars invited Professor Duncan Kennedy to discuss legal transplants and the rule of law. This commentary contextualizes their ideas and concerns and aims to clarify some concepts and arguments that underlay their discussion. At times though using the same words the participants were talking about different things. By legal transplants, the Chinese scholars were initially speaking of specle laws, while Duncan Kennedy was referring to legal thought. By law being political, Duncan Kennedy largely meant the distributive and discretionary nature of adjudication, while the Chinese participants were criticizing the interference by the Party and the government with judicial practice. Yet through this encounter, much was exchanged and debated. Regarding the triggers of legal transplants, the Chinese participants emphasized the law＇s quality and the donor＇s power, while Duncan Kennedy was more interested in chance and the recipient＇s strategy. Among the multiple ways of defining the rule of law, both sides agreed that it should be an institutional framework within which an independent judiciary checks the executive power. Nonetheless, each side had their own hopes and reservations on how this institutional framework can enable judges to faithfully apply the law.     

COMPLEMENTARITY AND COOPERATIVE JUSTICE AHEAD OF THEIR TIME? THE UNITED NATIONS WAR CRIMES COMMISSION,FACT-FINDING AND EVIDENCE

Today, many international criminal lawyers claim that the future of international law is domestic. The example of the United Nations War Crimes Commission (UNWCC) shows that this might not only be the future, but also the past. This article analyzes the practice of the Commission (1943–1948), with a particular emphasis on facts, evidence and interaction with domestic authorities. It argues that the UNWCC marked an early counter-model to the idea of military justice that prevailed in many World War II accountability initiatives, and an alternative to the centralized and situation-specific enforcement model under the umbrella of United Nations (UN) peace maintenance. The Commission represents a cooperative approach to justice and sovereignty that has got lost in the course of the second half of the twentieth century. In the mid-1940s, attention shifted quickly, and perhaps too early from the UNWCC itself to the idea of centralized enforcement under the umbrella of an International Criminal Court. The work of the Commission foreshadows many core dilemmas of contemporary international justice, including debates over independent investigative authority, proprio motu powers, the labelling and origin of core crimes (e.g. aggression, crimes against humanity), the treatment of group criminality (e.g. attribution of conduct) and evidentiary standards in proceedings. Similar structures are gradually re-emerging in the context of regional integration (e.g. ‘mutual trust’ under the European Area of Freedom, Security and Justice) or the operationalization of complementarity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). But in terms of cooperation between major powers and use of international expertise and advice in criminal proceedings, international criminal justice is still in search of a modern UNWCC 2.0.     

THE EMERGENCE OF TRIAGE IN FAMILY COURT SERVICES: THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR MANDATORY MEDIATION?*

Mandatory mediation has, since its inception in the 1980s, been at the heart of family court service agencies. However, changing times, more complex family problems, and a lack of court resources have created significant service delivery challenges. This article examines the emergence of variations of triage processes in family court service agencies as a response and contends that it is time to consider replacing the tiered service delivery model.     

AN OBSERVATION OF THE RUSSIAN POLITICAL HISTORY IN THE 20TH CENTURY： A NON- IDEOLOGICAL SYSTEM OF INTERPRETATION

Most of the foreign observers used to study Russia in the 20th century from the ideological point of view, praising or hating, no matter how they （claim） try to be non-ideological. But there is a big historical assumption： with or without ideology, would Russia have had a totally different path of development, or is there a unique path only for Russia？ What are the problems of Russia had to face and what is the right thing to make historical justice？ These questions become more and more urgent especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union when observers lost their ideological coordinate. This article tries to look ＂inside＂ Russia and ftnd out whether there is a historical discipline of the Russian path.     

THE APPLICABILITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL EXCEPTIONS OF THE GATT TO CHINA’S WTO-PLUS OBLIGATIONS — WTO PANEL AND APPELLATE BODY RULINGS ON THE CHINESE EXPORT RESTRICTIONS OF RARE EARTHS,TUNGSTEN AND MOLYBDENUM

On March 26, 2014, a panel, established by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, circulated its final report regarding the China — Rare Earths case to WTO Members. This dispute concerns China’s export restrictions on rare earths, tungsten, and molybdenum. In its report, the panel agreed with the findings of another dispute, the China — Raw Materials case. It concluded that the environmental exceptions under Article XX GATT 1994 cannot be applied to China’s actions. This conclusion is reconfirmed in the latest appellate body’s report of China — Rare Earths on August 7, 2014. Therefore, China was not able to justify the violation of their WTO-plus obligation to eliminate all export duties, contained in paragraph 11.3 of China’s Accession Protocol. As a consequence of the panel’s decision, it seems impossible for China to justify trade barriers with environmental interests and to invoke any exceptions. Such findings are subject to a fundamental controversy within the WTO multilateral trade system, trying to solve the tensions between environmental protection and trade liberalization. This essay examines the general applicability of environmental exceptions by analyzing the panel’s and appellate body’s approaches to the China — Rare Earths case and their findings, in connection with the purpose of sustainable development as prescribed by the preamble of the WTO Agreement. It has to be examined whether the non-application of the WTO environmental exceptions complies with Article 31 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties and is consistent with the balance between the different values pursued by the WTO. This article argues that Article XX GATT 1994 should be applicable to China’s WTO-plus obligation specified in paragraph 11.3 of its Accession Protocol as far as environmental interests are concerned.     

TOWARDS THE RULE OF LAW OR THE RULE OF THE BOOTS？ A LIBERAL PERSPECTIVE ON DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Since the beginning of the ＂war＂ on terror, governments have implemented counter-terrorism laws and policies, in breach of their obligations under international human rights law, on account of the necessity to protect democracy against its enemies. Reliance on the human rights discourse in order to justify the violations committed renders it difficult to criticise these drawbacks without rethinking the concepts of rights and democracy and reformulating them. The present article attempts to answer this challenge along the lines of the reconstruction of the notions of liberal democracy as the rule of law and liberty, and human rights as spheres of individual sovereignty.     

AN EXAMINATION OF RETAIL CLIENTS’ INVESTOR SUITABILITY RULES IN THE COBS AND THE LESSONS FOR CHINA

Nowadays, the complexity of financial products makes it difficult for retail clients to identify investment risks, and there is an increasing tendency for firms, stipulated by the maximum profits, to recommend or enter into unsuitable transactions to or for retail clients while providing services of investment advice and portfolio management, which causes great losses to a significant number of investors. So, in the contemporary society, the investor suitability rules through which retail clients can purchase suitable financial products are the indispensable legal basis of investor protection. Currently, the regulations concerning investor suitability management in China have several problems, including the chaotic legal system, low effectiveness level and defective contents, which may make it difficult for suitability to be applied in justice and managed effectively. Since the UK’s investor suitability rules in the Conduct of Business Sourcebook that apply to retail clients whose contents include requirements of obtaining retail clients’ information, requirements of information to be provided to retail clients and criteria of assessing suitability are clear and comprehensive, the authors believe that the UK’s experiences can provide a great enlightenment for China to better investor suitability management rules, including integrating legal documents and optimizing effectiveness level, rationalizing application scope, adding criteria of assessing suitability and revising specific clauses.     

THE PROCEDURE OF PLEA BARGAINING IN ROMANIA A NEGOTIATION OR JUST A FORMAL INSTITUTION？ THE COMMON LAW SYSTEM

Entry into force of the law No. 202/2010 regarding some measures to accelerate the settlement of the process, already raises a number of problems of interpretation. According to the Explanatory Memorandum of Law 202/2010 states that： ＂Unlike the other laws, the law No. 202/2010 comes into Romanian legislative with the aim of speeding criminal proceedings as well as to prepare the implementation of the new codes, some of the regulations contained in future coding being found in this law.＂ In this respect, in the explanatory memorandum to the bill, it was noted that ＂from the major failures of justice in Romania, the harshest criticism was the lack of celerity in solving cases. ＂ As often judicial procedures prove to be heavy, formal, expensive and lengthy, it was recognized that judicial effectiveness of justice consists, largely, in the speed with which the rights and obligations enshrined in judgments are part of the juridical circuit, thus ensuring the stability of legal relations to be decided. The introduction of simplified procedure of admission of guilt in the Criminal Code, now in force, was justified in the explanatory memorandum, among others, by Article 6 paragraphs 3 letter d） of the European Convention which guarantees the defendant the right to examine or have examined witnesses against him and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses under the same conditions as witnesses against him. This right has a relative character,＂ the defendant may give up his pursuit before an independent and impartial tribunal, and elect to be tried based on the evidence administrated in criminal prosecution. In this respect, the Strasbourg Court stipulated that the defendant has the opportunity to waive the right guaranteed by Article 6 paragraph 3 letters d） of the European Convention and, consequently, he cannot claim that this right was violated, if the sentencing court based its decision on the statement made during prosecution of a witness （anonymously） in whose defendant waived hear     

BURDEN OF PROOF AND PRIMA FACIE CASE IN WTO DISPUTES SETTLEMENT—A PERSPECTIVE OF CHINESE LAW

This paper discusses the concept of burden of proof and prima facie case,respectively,in WTO dispute settlement based on the legal doctrine on burden of proof in Chinese law.From the perspective of Chinese law,the burden of proof has three implications on two levels,namely the behavior burden of production and the behavior burden of persuasion in the procedural sense,and the result burden of bearing unfavorable consequence in its substantive sense.A prima facie case also includes the weaker account and the stricter account.They do not mean the same in different contexts,but what is the exact meaning thereof in a given context is clear.The real confusion of the burden of proof in WTO dispute settlement is prima facie standard which,in practice,to some extent,relies on the determination by the panel on case-to-case basis.     

STATE＇S CONTROL AND TENURE ARRANGEMENT OVER FIXED OBJECTS DUTCH CITIZENS PRIVATE PROPERTY FOR THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE： THE CASE OF INDONESIA

Indonesia had been colonized by Dutch Government for more than 300 years. Posterior to Indonesia independent proclamation on August 17, 1945 there was a number of State＇s legal problems found and one of them is the control and tenure arrangement of private property that left by Dutch citizens in the country of Indonesia. Specific purpose of the paper is to criticize the existence of Act Number 3 PRP Year 1960 regarding the Tenure Arrangements Fixed Objects Dutch Citizens Private Property that has reflected a sense of unjust, uncertainty and inexpedience for the greatest number of Indonesian people. It is because the Act of 1960 defines inconsistency between Article 4, paragraph （2） with general explanations Article 1 Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 223 of 1961. It also set the terms of priorities to obtain fixed objects belonging to individual citizens Dutch not in accordance with the principle of equality before the law. Legal implications arising from control and tenure arrangements of objects and equipment owned by a Dutch individual are a problem that occurs in the received ground objects P3MB. To implement the control arrangements of objects and equipment owned by a Dutch individual that reflects a sense of fairness, certainty and benefit to society by applying the concept of 3 in 1 in the Land Acquisition： Acquisition of land objects P3MB for laws subject.     

DOES IMPRISONMENT ALTER THE LIFE COURSE? EVIDENCE ON CRIME AND EMPLOYMENT FROM A NATURAL EXPERIMENT

Ex‐prisoners consistently manifest high rates of criminal recidivism and unemployment. Existing explanations for these poor outcomes emphasize the stigmatizing effects of imprisonment on prisoners seeking postrelease employment as well as the deleterious effects of imprisonment on prisoners’ attitudes and capabilities. However, these explanations must be distinguished from selection effects in the criminal sentencing process, which also could explain some or all of these poor outcomes. To distinguish between criminogenic and selection explanations for ex‐prisoners’ postrelease experience, I analyze data from a natural experiment in which criminal cases were assigned randomly to judges with sizable sentencing disparities. Using these exogenous sentencing disparities, I produce unbiased estimates of the causal effects of imprisonment on the life course. The results of this analysis suggest that selection effects could be sufficiently large to account for prisoners’ poor postrelease outcomes because judges with large sentencing disparities in their use of imprisonment had similarly high caseload unemployment and criminal recidivism rates.     

WHO'S YOUR DADDY?: THE INHERENT UNFAIRNESS OF THE MARITAL PRESUMPTION FOR CHILDREN OF UNMARRIED PARENTS*

Many states have marital presumptions of legitimacy, which provide children born to married parents with protection against paternity lawsuits questioning their legitimacy. However, most states do not have legitimacy presumption statutes for unmarried couples. This lack of equality between married and unmarried couples makes it so that children born to unmarried parents, who have developed a psychological bond with a man they have always thought to be their father, are not afforded the same protection as other children in similar situations, simply because their parents were not married at the time of their birth. Therefore, this Note advocates for states to amend their paternity statutes to provide protection against nonpaternity lawsuits to psychological fathers and their psychological children. State statutes should provide a psychological father with the right to be declared the legal parent of his psychological child in cases where the child's legal father has been substantially absent from the child's life.