未成年人犯罪刑罚适用区域性考察及其罚则改革研究(上)

对云南省若干地区的实证考察表明,在未成年犯罪人的刑罚适用中存在诸多问题,例如,有期徒刑适用过多,管制、拘役刑基本空置;缓刑适用比例过低且存在很大的地区差异,司法分流的合法性有待确认等等。造成上述问题的原因很多,既有立法方面的,如立法不明确或缺乏弹性;也有司法或执法方面的,如考察机关负担过重,无力进行有效考察;还有地方因素的干扰,如过分强调刑罚的威慑作用等。为此,要解决上述问题,必须从立法、司法与执法三方面着手。在立法上须根据《联合国儿童权利公约》规定的确保未成年人最大利益的原则行事,增加处罚中的弹性规范;增设已在国内外被证明行之有效的某些刑罚制度,例如,缓诉制度、缓缴罚金制度、刑事前科报告免除制度、前科消灭制度等;在司法与执法中,应完善相关机制以扩大缓刑等制度的适用范围,并采取有效措施,加强部门合作,消除地区差异。     

少年审判制度的前世今生

1984年,上海市长宁区人民法院首开先河,创立了中国大陆第一个专门审理未成年人刑事案件的合议庭,迈出了中国少年司法制度的第一步。创设(1984-1991):教育感化挽救早在“严打”初期,法院审理刑事案件时,对未成年被告人与成年被告人不加区别,查明事实后即定罪量刑。     

The Family of the Juvenile Delinquent

Juvenile delinquency has historically been responded to by “de-familization” of the young offender; that is, removal to a training school or other institutional setting. The trend over the past two decades toward deinstitutionalization has meant that delinquent youngsters, who are now remaining in the context of their own communities and families, have been “re-familized.” This poses a major challenge for the juvenile justice system and community, who are stuck with the family but are not sure what to do about it. Little objective and systematic information is available concerning families of delinquents, either as an aggregate group or in individual cases. It is hypothesized that the families are as heterogeneous as are delinquent youngsters, but the juvenile justice system tends to scapegoat families and assumes they are all necessarily dysfunctional. A 10-point continuum of family functioning is proposed. It is suggested that families of delinquent youngsters are found at various points on this continuum: from the extremely impaired or criminogenic family, through the family that has serious problems but has something to offer its youngster if it receives effective help with those problems, to the family of average functioning that can serve as a major rehabilitative resource for the youngster.     

The Effect of Race on Juvenile Justice Processing

Studies concerning differential treatment of minority youths in the juvenile justice system have not provided conclusive evidence. However, previous literature has revealed methodological problems which may account for the inconsistency among previous studies. Multi-stage design, adequate control of legal and non-legal variables, and refined measurement of social variables have been demonstrated as crucial elements in resolving the inconclusiveness in previous studies. The purpose of this study is to employ these approaches to detect case-handling bias at three stages of juvenile justice processing: detention, adjudication, and disposition. Data were obtained from juvenile cases reported to the Ohio trial court in 1989. A total of 2,334 court cases were randomly sampled from 17 Ohio counties. Research findings showed a differential treatment of minority juveniles at the detention stage. Further, detention status was also found to have an increasing impact at the two subsequent decision points.     

中国少年司法制度的一体化

中国少年司法制度在开展引进借鉴和实验探索的同时,必须厘清这一制度的构建理念。当来自体制内部的力量成为延缓这一制度建设的阻力之时,观念上的论辩便显得尤为重要。少年司法是区别于传统“成人司法”的一种制度,其理论基础和基础学科是由非法学学科与法学相整合的知识体系。在这一理论基础之中,产生了“少年司法制度一体化”的客观要求,由不同标准构建的四种一体化模式,体现了少年司法的本质特征。少年司法特殊定位折射出一个国家成人司法的现实状态,也预示着成人司法的未来走向。     

Kids are Different: The United States Supreme Court Reforms Youth Sentencing Practices for Youth Prosecuted in the Criminal Justice System

In a series of decisions issued between 2005‐2016, the United States Supreme Court relied on emerging scientific research detailing the developmental differences between children and adults to revamp its juvenile sentencing jurisprudence under the Eighth Amendment. The research established that youth’s developmental immaturity reduces their culpability for their criminal conduct, while also demonstrating their heightened capacity for change and rehabilitation. The Court focused on the most extreme sentences for youth, banning the imposition of the death penalty on youth under the age of eighteen in Roper v. Simmons (2005), and severely limiting the availability of life without parole sentences even for youth convicted of murder, in Graham v Florida (2010) and Miller v Alabama (2012). This article traces the Court’s evolution in reviewing sentences for youth in our justice system, and considers how the Court’s reasoning in these cases may influence further reforms in the justice system’s treatment of youth looking ahead.     

未成年人犯罪刑罚适用区域性考察及其罚则改革研究(下)

对云南省若干地区的实证考察表明,在未成年犯罪人的刑罚适用中存在诸多问题,例如,有期徒刑适用过多,管制、拘役刑基本空置;缓刑适用比例过低且存在很大的地区差异,司法分流的合法性有待确认等等。造成上述问题的原因很多,既有立法方面的,如立法不明确或缺乏弹性;也有司法或执法方面的,如考察机关负担过重,无力进行有效考察;还有地方因素的干扰,如过分强调刑罚的威慑作用等。为此,要解决上述问题,必须从立法、司法与执法三方面着手。在立法上须根据《联合国儿童权利公约》规定的确保未成年人最大利益的原则行事,增加处罚中的弹性规范;增设已在国内外被证明行之有效的某些刑罚制度,例如,缓诉制度、缓缴罚金制度、刑事前科报告免除制度、前科消灭制度等;在司法与执法中应完善相关机制,以扩大缓刑等制度的适用范围,并采取有效措施,加强部门合作,消除地区差异。     

The Justice Model in the Juvenile Justice System: Washington State's Experience

In 1977, the Washington State Legislature enacted radical modifications of its juvenile justice code. Explicitly abandoning the parens patriae philosophy of the juvenile justice system, a "justice" philosophy was adopted. Provisions of the law include a determinate sentencing structure, the divestiture of status offenses, greater due process rights for juveniles, and a formalized diversion process which emphasizes accountability rather than treatment. This paper brings together the available research on the implementation of the law to assess how the introduction of a justice approach has influenced equality, fairness, and punishment levels in Washington State's juvenile justice system.     

日本非行少年的法律保护及启示

在日本,少年非行是指14岁以上20岁未满少年的犯罪行为、14岁未满少年的触法行为以及虞犯等三方面的总称,主要由《少年法》及《儿童福祉法》等法律予以规制。《少年法》以少年的人权保障和健康成长为目的、以保护主义的社会复归为理念,与《儿童福祉法》等共同构成非行少年的法律保护体系。家庭裁判所以少年事件为主要审理对象、以保护处分为主要处罚手段,与社会福祉性质的儿童相谈所共同担负起日本的少年保护事业。官民协动与社会参与制度是对我们的最大的启示,我国要进一步加强少年保护理念的转变,完善我国的少年保护体制,将其建设成为全民参与的社会事业。