Review essay / philosophical analysis and the limits of the substantive criminal law

George P. Fletcher, Basic Concepts of Criminal Law New York: Oxford University Press, 1998, xi + 223 pp.     

Restoring accountability in pretrial release: the Philadelphia pretrial release supervision experiments

As drug arrests and jail overcrowding added pressure to increase pretrial release in localities during the 1980s and 1990s, the need to manage a larger and higher-risk pretrial population of defendants awaiting adjudication in the community became a high priority for justice agencies. In the late 1990s Philadelphia officials sought to discover the ingredients of a successful supervision strategy through four interlinked field experiments to provide an empirical basis for a major reform of the pretrial release system. The results of the linked randomized experiments question common assumptions about “supervision,” its impact and effectiveness, about the underlying nature of the noncompliant defendant, and deterrence implications. The study emphasizes the importance of interpreting the findings in the context of implementation of the policy reform. Findings suggest that facilitative notification strategies wield little influence on defendant behavior and that deterrent aims are undermined by the system's failure to deliver consequences for defendant noncompliance during pretrial release. The most significant contribution of the article is its illustration of a major evidence-based policy reform undertaken by a major court system.     

The freedom of navigation in international law and the utility of international society discourse

In the international law of the sea, the emergence of new actors and systems influencing relations between states has lead to evolving rules and calls for the redefinition of the traditional issues such the allocation of jurisdiction and rights to states in its maritime zones. In the maritime domain, this is seen thrice in the evolution of the various maritime zones in the United Nations Conferences for the Law of the Sea （UNCLOS I, II and III）. In the maritime domain, there are certain actions that are not dependent on any state＇s consent. One of such is the rule of freedom of navigation. This paper, argues for the possibilities of concomitance between international law and studies in international society based on the growing recognition of the importance of examining the sociological and historical element in rule development. This paper focuses on a rule in the international law of the sea with the aim of determining the extent to which norms have caused changes in rule development, if any. This method, known as the English School method of international relations, acknowledges the benefits of international law positivism in highlighting generality with the benefits of a normative discourse in highlighting alternatives and the utility of compliance. So, although the maritime domain is rooted in a state system, one where the parts interact as a whole, a branching-out analysis towards the normative discourse in the development of this rule will facilitate more understanding, as the case-specificity of most issues in the maritime domain cannot be overemphasised.     

The impact of pretrial publicity on jurors

Previous research on how jurors are prejudiced by pretrial publicity (PTP) has focused on the impact of print media (i.e., newspapers). However, in this “television age”, we are exposed to compelling and vivid images of crimes and cases. This raises the question of whether potential jurors may be more influenced by television media (e.g., news programs or televised hearings) then print media (e.g., newspaper and magazine articles). Using an actual case involving extensive PTP, the present study varied the type of medium (print articles, video, articles+video) presented to potential jurors. The results indicated that exposure to the various media had a prejudicial impact on people, and that they were unaware of their biases. As hypothesized, television exposure and television plus print articles biased potential jurors significantly more than exposure to print media alone.     

两大法系行政诉讼审前程序模式比较及对我国的启示——以美国和德国为例

随着我国审判方式改革的推进,行政审判实践中出现了庭前证据交换等审前程序改革的有益探索。但是由于我国行政诉讼审前程序规则的不完善,审前准备工作存在诸多问题,这些问题的存在提示着我国审前准备工作程序化的必要性。本文在比较分析了德国和美国的审前程序后,对我国审前程序模式选择提出了建议。     

The biasing impact of pretrial publicity on juror judgments

This study examines three previously unexplored aspects of the biasing impact of pretrial publicity. First, this study tests the differential effects of several different types of pretrial publicity on juror decision making. Second, this study explores the impact the presentation of trial evidence has on biases created by pretrial publicity. Finally, the study explores the psychological processes by which pretrial publicity effects may operate. Results indicate that pretrial publicity, particularly negative information about the defendant's character, can influence subjects' initial judgments about a defendant's guilt. This bias is weakened, but not eliminated by the presentation of trial evidence. Character pretrial publicity, and both weak and strong inadmissible statements appear to operate by changing subjects' initial judgments of the defendant's guilt. This initial judgment then affects the way subjects assess the evidence presented in the trial and the attributions they make about the defendant. Prior record pretrial publicity appears to have its effects by influencing subjects' inferences about the criminality of the defendant and this is related to posttrial judgments.     

Racial and ethnic disparity in pretrial criminal processing

This study uses data on the processing of felony defendants in large urban courts to analyze racial and ethnic disparities in pretrial processing. There are three major findings. First, racial disparity is most notable during the decision to deny bail and for defendants charged with violent crimes. Second, ethnic disparity is most notable during the decision to grant a non‐financial release and for defendants charged with drug crimes. Third, when there is disparity in the treatment of Black and Latino defendants with similar legal characteristics, Latinos always receive the less beneficial decisions. These findings are consistent with the theoretical perspective offered, which suggests that stereotypes influence criminal processing when their specific content is made salient by either the concerns relevant to a particular processing decision or the crime type of a defendant’s primary charge.     

Drug use and pretrial misconduct in New York city

Is recent drug use significantly associated with pretrial misconduct? Does consideration of recent drug use enhance risk classification among a sample of persons who have time free pending the disposition of their cases? Using data on arrestees in Manhattan, this paper examines these issues and some related questions. To measure recent drug use, urine samples were collected from persons shortly after their arrest and tested for four drugs: heroin, cocaine, PCP, and methadone. Two measures of pretrial misconduct are considered: whether a defendant fails to appear for a scheduled court date (FTA) and whether a defendant is rearrested prior to case disposition. Censored probit models are used to estimate the statistical association between drug test results and pretrial misconduct. Results show that drug test results are significantly associated with pretrial misconduct over and above the information typically available to judges at the time release decisions are made. Some implications of these findings for pretrial decision making are discussed.     

论隐名股东的实质性要件

尽管隐名股东在公司法中没有明确规定,但在公司法的司法实践中已经成为一个不可回避的问题。而隐名股东的实质性条件则成为隐名股东案件中最核心、最关键的问题。本文结合一些地方的规定和司法实践,对认定隐名投资人股东身份的几个实质性要件提出建议。     

经济法在我国法律体系中地位的确立与发展

我国最高权力机关将有中国特色社会主义法律体系划分为七个法律部门 ,其中包括经济法。经济法地位的全面确立 ,既是法学理论的创新和发展 ,是经济法理论的硕果 ;又是民主与法制建设实践的创新 ,是经济法制建设实践的胜利 ;还是马克思主义唯物论和辩证法的充分运用。 2 1世纪经济法面临诸多机遇和挑战 ,要在立法上实现向综合性的经济立法、区域性的经济立法转变 ;要抓好经济法实施的工作与研究 ;要抓住重点部门和重点领域的研究 ;要不断创新经济法的研究方法。     

认罪认罚从宽制度若干证据问题研究

认罪认罚从宽制度中的证据问题亟待研究和讨论.认罪认罚从宽制度的核心要义应当是及时正当获取"认罪"证据,有效惩治犯罪.被追诉人认罪的自愿性是认罪认罚从宽制度适用的前提,需要相关机制予以保障.我国认罪认罚从宽制度中并未免除控诉机关的控诉证明责任.当前,学界和实务界对认罪认罚从宽制度的证明标准存在不同认识.认罪认罚从宽制度应当坚持常规证明标准,并将"从宽"的量刑证明标准予以完善.我国认罪案件证明模式可以归纳为"以被告人供述为中心的简单(形式)印证模式",认罪认罚案件证明模式改革需要做好"一个强化"和"一个转变"两项工作.