论鉴定结论的证据能力

现代科技的发展带动了司法鉴定在刑事诉讼中的运用和扩大,鉴定结论的危险性与重要性的并存促使人们探寻对鉴定结论证据能力的规范。英美法系对专家证据的可采性强调对其依据方法的考察,大陆法系强调诉讼程序对鉴定结论的制度。在对两大法系鉴定结论证据能力进行详尽分析的基础上,笔者从鉴定人的适格性、鉴定的关联性、鉴定结论的可靠性、鉴定材料的合法性和鉴定的程序性要件上完善我国鉴定结论的证据能力。     

Educator of the court: the role of the expert witness in cases involving autism spectrum disorder

The role of the expert witness in legal contexts is to educate fact finders of the court who may have no background in the expert’s area. This role can be especially difficult for those who assist in cases involving individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As expert assistance on ASD is crucial to ensuring just outcomes for individuals diagnosed with ASD, knowledge on how expert witnesses perceive and approach their roles, and what factors may influence these perceptions, is essential. This qualitative research utilizes semi-structured interviews with a sample of expert witnesses in cases involving ASD, analyzed using a grounded-theory constant-comparative analytic approach. Data reveal that experts appear to view their roles in court as reconstructionists, educators, myth-dispellers, and most of all, communicators, actively using their testimony to fill these roles in cases. These results also allow for the development of a model that illustrates two areas that coalesce to affect how experts view their roles in court: (1) personal experiences of experts in cases in which they have been involved; and (2) influences outside experts’ personal experiences, such as their general opinions or observations regarding ASD and its relationship to the criminal justice system.     

Optimizing risk mitigation in management of sexual offenders: a structural model

Sexual violence is an insidious and pervasive problem that insinuates itself into all aspects of contemporary society. It can neither be mitigated nor adequately controlled through current socio-legal practices. A more promising approach must embrace four integrated elements: (1) public policy, (2) primary prevention, (3) statutory management, and (3) secondary intervention. In the present paper we tackle the 3rd and 4th elements by proposing an integrated model for reducing and managing sexual violence among known sex offenders. Relying on the highly effective Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model as the core of our Sex Offender Risk Mitigation and Management Model (SORM³), we draw together evidence based practices from clinical interventions and risk assessment strategies. Developed by Andrews & Bonta (2006), RNR has a strong empirical track record of efficacy when applied to diverse samples of offenders, including sex offenders (Hanson, Bourgon, Helmus, & Hodgson, 2009). We offer a detailed structural model that seeks to provide a more seamless integration of risk assessment with management and discretionary decisions, including a primary focus on RNR-based post-release aftercare. We end with the mantra that sex offender treatment alone will never effectively mitigate sexual violence in society, since the problem is not confined to the handful of offenders who spend time in prison and are offered some limited exposure to treatment. Any truly effective model must go well beyond the management of those known to be violent and embrace a comprehensive and integrated approach that begins by recognizing the seeds of sexual violence sown by society. Such a public health paradigm places victims - not offenders - at the center, forcing society to come to address the full gamut of hazards that fuel sexual violence.     

The role of criminal record in the federal sentencing guidelines

In this paper my concern is with the collective moral responsibility of criminal investigators for the outcomes of their investigations, bearing in mind that it is important to distinguish collective moral responsibility from, and relate it to, individual moral responsibility. In what sense, if any, are police detectives individually and collectively morally responsible for their success (or, for that matter, their failure) in gathering sufficient evidence to identify, arrest, and charge an offender who has committed a serious crime? Alternatively, in what sense are they morally responsible in cases where they identify, arrest, and charge an innocent person? And in what sense, if any, are police detectives individually and collectively morally responsible for the ultimate outcome of the trial, the finding by the courts of someone they have investigated and charged with a serious crime to be guilty or innocent?     

刑事诉讼专家辅助人制度的解读与完善

2012年新修正的《刑事诉讼法》中规定的专家辅助人制度,与两大法系国家的专家证人及技术顾问存在着明显差异,其基本功能在于协助控辩双方质证鉴定意见,因而在庭审中专家辅助人是当事人的助手,表现为诉讼地位的非中立性。为保障专家辅助人制度的贯彻实施,应当通过法律的进一步细化对专家辅助人的出庭申请、决定以及救济等相关程序加以明确和完善。     

作为专家证人的语言学家在立法和司法活动中的价值

法学与语言学的日趋融合，法律语言学成为人们研究的热点，语言学家的价值也日益凸现在立法和司法活动中。从立法层面观之，法律语言学家的介入将使法律文本更能体现其应有的文体特征，有助于改变世界各国普遍存在的立法失范化状况；从司法实践层面而言，语言学家的介入，将有助于解决因法规、合同等法律文本的不同诠释而产生的争议，使司法活动更合乎正义性要求。建议我国法学界给予语言学家施展其专业才能的空间，以此肯定语言学家的地位和价值，这将有助于完善我国现有的专家证人制度，从而实现法学界和语言学界的“双赢”。     

我国专家辅助人制度创新的实用主义及立法的模糊立场——基于司法实践的一种理论展开

专家辅助人作为源于司法实践的创新制度,历经了最高人民法院规范性文件的认可以及法律上的确认,逐渐成长为一项正式的诉讼制度。然因司法机关相关答复、解释的误释与误导,不仅理论上难以自洽,而且司法实践中也各行其是,以至于影响了该制度的规范性运行。2012年修改的《刑事诉讼法》和《民事诉讼法》对此的规定又因其模糊的立场再度导致司法实践对其与专家证人关系纠缠不清,应当从理论上澄清立法的模糊立场、摆脱司法实践的非制度化扩张,避免对专家证人的盲目效仿,同时还应厘清专家辅助人的中国模式。     

知识产权刑事案件证据调查与认定——以新刑事诉讼法为视角

刑事诉讼法的本次大修是适应社会转型的需要,它在证据方面的修订对知识产权的刑事法保护有着重要影响,如增加了电子数据形式、增设行政证据向刑事证据的转换机制、增加了专家证人形式、规范了诱惑侦查措施等。不断完善的程序法必定会逐渐增强对知识产权的刑事法保护。     

论我国不宜引入英美法系专家证人制度

诉讼模式的改革使得产生于强职权模式下的传统司法鉴定体制与新庭审方式的矛盾日益突出,司法实践中也暴露出越来越多的问题,我国司法鉴定体制的改革势在必行,司法鉴定也亟需立法。近年来,有关引入英美法系专家证人制度的改革构想成为我国司法鉴定制度改革中的热门话题．但在我国不宜引入专家证人制度。     

在民事诉讼中鉴定结论证明力之比较分析

在民事诉讼中,如何对结论冲突的司法鉴定进行证明力的比较,经常是法官必须面对的一个难题。在赋予一个鉴定结论以优势证据的地位之前,法官既要进行鉴定结论外在证明力的比较,又要注重鉴定结论内在证明力的比较,更要强调鉴定结论证明力的综合比较。当外在证明力和内在证明力的指向发生矛盾时,内在证明力的指向应当起到决定性作用。     

对刑事证人出庭作证理论基础的思考

刑事证人出庭作证制度是证据法研究的热点之一,国内在该问题技术上的研究多于理论上的探索,似乎在该问题的理论基础上已有广泛的认同,即对义务论的认同,然而义务论会带来诸如主体工具之说,自由功利之说的许多困惑,相反,权利论却有独特的优势,因此如果尝试从权利论的角度解读证人作证制度,或许会有所收获。     

浅议司法会计鉴定人员出庭举证的原则与内容

司法会计鉴定人员出庭举证,可大大减轻公诉人在专业技术问题上的压力,为法庭定案量刑起到极其重要的作用.在出庭举证中,司法会计鉴定人只要坚持举证的基本原则,把握举证的要点内容,便能达到条理清楚、层次分明、重点突出、富于逻辑的最佳出庭举证的效果.     

The quality of written expert testimony in alleged child sexual abuse: An empirical study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to empirically evaluate written expert testimonies in cases of suspected child sexual abuse in Sweden. A total of 121 expert testimonies were rated with an instrument developed for the study, the SQX-12 (Gumpert et al., 2001) which is a 12-item checklist aimed to reflect consensus-established concepts of quality. Reports from different professional groups were compared, as were reports produced before and after the 1991 publication of national guidelines. The results suggested that the reports produced by professionals using statement analysis generally were of higher quality than reports written by professionals from child- and adolescent psychiatry. There was a slight increase in report quality, as measured by the SQX total score, over the studied years. However, it is concluded that the overall quality of written expert testimony on child credibility still does not reach the recommended level in Sweden.     

英国证人制度评介--兼谈我国民事证人制度之完善

证人提供的证言是民事诉讼证据的一种,对于法官裁判具有重要意义。对英、美等国家民事诉讼中的证人资格、证人权利和义务以及证言的提供程序等问题进行了分析。并针对中国目前民事证人制度方面的立法及司法实践现状,提出了完善中国证人制度的构想。     

国外专家证人制度对我国医疗损害鉴定体制改革的启示

司法鉴定过程中专家证人制度是其灵魂。就国外来说,大陆法系和英美法系对专家证人制度的规定大相径庭。本文从概念定位、选任和出庭制度等方面比较大陆法系和英美法系在专家证人方面的规定,进而提出完善我国专家证人制度的若干建议。     

The use of the subculture of violence as mitigation in a capital murder case

This paper examines the role a sociologist in a capital murder case involving a defendant who was black and a victim who was a white on-duty police officer. The author of this paper testified in this specific case and has worked as a sociologist in over 60 capital murder cases. The use of the subculture of violence as mitigation is presented.     

以审判为中心的庭审模式对法医出庭质证的挑战

以审判为中心的庭审模式是当今诉讼改革的主要方向,案件庭审实质化是诉讼改革的主要目标,在此背景下,法医鉴定人出庭质证将会实质化、常态化。为此,最高人民法院等部门出台了保障鉴定人出庭的相关规定、规则。法医鉴定意见质证实质化要求法医鉴定人在出庭时履行相关义务:尊重法庭、如实回答提问、释明鉴定意见。当前法医参加庭审质证中存在法医鉴定人出庭率低、鉴定意见的法律性质不明确、鉴定人出庭的具体要求不明确、与包括专家辅助人在内的其他专家证据形式的冲突等问题。为此,笔者向法医鉴定人提出三点建议:不断学习,提升专业技能;加强修炼,提高法律知识;注重实践,强化表达能力。     

限制与扩张:我国证人资格制度之历史嬗变

除传统之“亲不为证”外,我国古代对证人资格殊少限制,只是到了唐代,才将证人自身之作证能力纳入到了证人适格的考察范围。近代以来,受认识深化和外来文化的影响,并基于政策性、可靠性、客观性和公正性等因素的考量,关于证人资格的规定变化很大,实现了从重在证人的适格性审查到证言的真实性审查、从单向容隐到同居相隐再到特权容隐、从道德义务到法律义务再到道德义务和法律权利的结合体等几个转变。