The Influence of New Mental Health Legislation on the Criminal Justice System

The current trend towards the deinstitutionalization of mental patients has led some to predict a movement into the criminal justice system. This paper describes an attempt to examine this hypothesis by comparing commitment and arrest rates in Philadelphia before and after the enabling legislation.

The hypothesis of movement into the criminal justice system was not supported by the comparison of rates, nor by an examination of the careers of ninety-four selected ex-patients.

The implications of the findings are discussed, with reference to similar studies in different states; and the conclusion is reached that the results must be interpreted in the light of the changing role of the criminal justice system as well as that of the mental hospital.     

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.     

Assessing Criminal Justice Practice Using Social Justice Theory

In this article, I introduce two of the leading theories of social justice put forth by John Rawls and David Miller. Then, I assess criminal justice practice, from law-making to corrections, in terms of ways in which it is consistent and inconsistent with these theories of social justice. Throughout the article, I also identify ways in which criminal justice practice is inconsistent with social justice. Finally, I make recommendations for reforming criminal justice to make it more consistent with social justice.     

论刑法学方法对刑事立法与司法的意义

在刑事法治系统中,立法与司法是两个非常重要的子系统。研究刑法学方法,①对于这两个子系统的良性运转,进而促进刑事法治系统的良性运转,具有重要意义。一立法完善,对于中国刑事法治而言,是一项重要的制度建设工作。二十世纪八十年代以来的刑事立法,始终贯穿着这一主题。(一)立法完善的含义与意义完善之意,指(使之)完备美好。②立法完善,即通过立法程序使法律、法规进一步完备的过程与结果。刑法的立法完善亦然。废除、修改非正当、不合理的规定,增补与社会现实相适应的内容,是刑法立法完善工作的基本方式。制定立法解释,是刑法立法完善工作…     

刑事被害人国家补偿制度立法构想

目前,我国建立被害人国家补偿制度的经济条件、理论基础、实践准备等各方面的条件都已具备,通过立法建立被害人国家补偿制度的时机已经成熟.鉴于我国国情,在立法技术上应采取:被补偿对象特定化,补偿资金来源综合化,补偿条件规范化,补偿程序制度化,采取裁定机构与支付机构相分离的方式对补偿金进行管理.     

程序公正是刑事诉讼立法的基准价值论

传统的刑事诉讼理论将刑事诉讼法作为刑法的附属法,刑事诉讼法的价值一直被视为一元化的工具价值。现代社会是价值多元的社会,刑事诉讼法已被视为多元价值的结合体。但是,在价值多元的立法需求条件下,刑事诉讼制度设计采取多点定位的思维方式必然导致价值冲突调整失序,刑事诉讼法内在价值的和谐性和制度设计的逻辑统一性无法完美的实现。因而,确立程序公正为刑事诉讼立法的基准价值,既赋予刑事诉讼法以独立的法治价值地位,有助于推进刑事法治,又为解决刑事诉讼立法技术方面的困难,提供了明确的指导原则和程序设计考量标准。     

Impact of Information About Sentencing Decisions on Public Attitudes Toward the Criminal Justice System

Research reveals public dissatisfaction with perceived leniency of the criminal justice system. However, when asked to sentence hypothetical offenders, members of the public tend to choose dispositions similar to what current court practices prescribe. In two studies reported here, subjects completed a mock sentencing exercise and a general attitude survey. In an initial pilot study, they expressed general dissatisfaction with the criminal justice system but the relative punitiveness of their sentences (in terms of their perceptions of how severe various sentencing options are) was only slightly elevated above a set of reference sentences. Providing a typical judge's sentencing decisions did not decrease dissatisfaction but was associated with an anchoring effect. This effect was explored in the main study by manipulating the provided reference sentences to be either lenient, moderate, or punitive. Again, participants expressed general dissatisfaction with the criminal justice system but prescribed generally moderate sentences, anchoring their sentences to the information provided. However, only those exposed to moderate typical sentences subsequently reported reduced dissatisfaction with the criminal justice system.     

论刑事司法对死刑适用的影响

死刑的限制与全面废除并不完全取决于民意的走向,也不是哪位政治家一夜的梦想就能够实现的。死刑作为一种既古老而又严厉的刑罚已经在不同的社会、不同的时期因为其特殊的功能而形成一种深深的历史印迹,洗刷这种印迹同样需要一个漫长、艰难的过程,需要一个司法检验立法的过程,以及立法自身完善的过程。     

论刑事司法中的人权保护

2012年人权入法是我国人权保护工作的又一里程碑。但当前我国刑事法学理论界和刑事司法界均存在这样一种认识误区:将刑事法律当成被追诉人的大宪章,过于强调保护被追诉人的人权,有的甚至提出了宁可错放,也不错判的主张。这种观点不但与三大人权公约冲突、自身存在逻辑矛盾,而且有碍司法公正。事实上,无论是从犯罪的本质、刑罚的根据、刑法的调整对象看,还是从两法的目的与任务看,刑事司法中保护的都应当是包括被害人、被追诉人在内的全体公民的人权。保护方式有三种:通过打击犯罪、消除犯罪对全体公民人权的威胁来直接保护;通过限制刑罚权,防止其对犯罪人人权的过度侵害来间接保护;通过限制刑罚权,防止其对无辜者的侵害来间接保护。将刑事司法的目的与任务定位为保护全体公民人权有利于促进司法公正。     

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.     

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.     

Taxometrics and Criminal Justice: Assessing the Latent Structure of Crime-Related Constructs

Purpose

The taxometric method is introduced as a way of investigating the latent structure of key criminal justice constructs.

Methods

Besides describing the theory, rationale, and procedures behind taxometrics, the taxometric method is applied to Wolfgang, Figlio, and Sellin’s (1972) delinquency cohort data to illustrate how the procedure works.

Results

After defining latent structure, its relevance to criminal justice is explored and the four core principles of taxometric analysis are described: coherent cut kinetics, consistency testing, comparison curve analysis, and evidence-based procedures. Sample and indicator preconditions for taxometric analysis are discussed and empirically-verified procedures for taxometric analysis are outlined: mean above minus below a cut (MAMBAC: Meehl & Yonce, 1996), maximum covariance (MAXCOV: Meehl & Yonce, 1994), maximum eigenvalue (MAXEIG: Waller & Meehl, 1998), maximum slope (MAXSLOPE: Grove & Meehl, 1993), and latent mode factor analysis (L-Mode: Waller & Meehl, 1998).

Conclusions

The taxometric method provides an avenue by which the latent structure of important criminal justice constructs can be explored and criminal justice research can be advanced.     

Assessing the Impact of Restrictive Housing on Inmate Post-Release Criminal Behavior

American Journal of Criminal Justice - The placement of inmates in restrictive housing (RH) units has become a staple of corrections policy in recent years. Despite its increased use, research on...     

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。