Police leniency in traffic enforcement encounters: Exploratory findings from observations and interviews

Despite the volume of time officers spend on traffic enforcement encounters, there was limited research exploring how they used their discretion in such interactions. Issues relating to police decision making patterns in the enforcement of motor vehicle laws were particularly salient in light of the on-going debate over racial profiling. This study examined how officers made decisions (in particular, to stop and to sanction) in the course of traffic enforcement. Using field observations and interviews with officers in a small midwestern agency, the authors described the factors and forces that officers used in making discretionary choices. The findings indicated that leniency in sanctioning was very common and that officers expected citizens to be contrite and acknowledge responsibility for their infractions. Implications for larger and more systematic observational studies are discussed.     

Cops and drivers: Police discretion and the enforcement of Maine's 1981 OUI law

This study examined police discretionary behavior in stopping and arresting drivers suspected of drunken driving in the state of Maine (U.S.A.). A sample of 186 officers was questioned at the beginning and end of a one-year period with respect to their attitudes toward OUI (Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol) law enforcement and their discretionary behavior in regard to OUI.Significant minorities of police officers reported that they made decisions either not to apprehend (thirty-three percent) or not to arrest (forty-one percent) OUI suspects in the study year. Officers who reported discretionary decisions not to apprehend or arrest generally did so infrequently—i.e. five percent of possible apprehensions and ten percent of possible arrests.Type of police department was significantly associated with decisions not to stop OUI suspects: officers in large departments ( ≥ 20 officers) reported more discretion. Officers with longer service careers, administration responsibilities, high personal priorities on OUI enforcement, and favorable opinions of the climate of OUI enforcement were less likely not to arrest OUI suspects.     

Regulation for the enforcement of federal health care provider conscience protection laws. Final rule

The Department of Health and Human Services issues this final rule which provides that enforcement of the federal statutory health care provider conscience protections will be handled by the Department's Office for Civil Rights, in conjunction with the Department's funding components. This Final Rule rescinds, in part, and revises, the December 19, 2008 Final Rule entitled "Ensuring That Department of Health and Human Services Funds Do Not Support Coercive or Discriminatory Policies or Practices in Violation of Federal Law" (the "2008 Final Rule"). Neither the 2008 final rule, nor this final rule, alters the statutory protections for individuals and health care entities under the federal health care provider conscience protection statutes, including the Church Amendments, Section 245 of the Public Health Service Act, and the Weldon Amendment. These federal statutory health care provider conscience protections remain in effect.     

Money laundering laws as a political instrument: the social cost of arbitrary money laundering enforcement

The paper explains the reasons for modern money laundring legislation, namely to reduce the incidence of certain primary offences. Whereas enactment and effectuation of this legislation is costly, its postive effects typically materialize in other jurisdictions (positive external effects). The paper shows that international covenants seek to give direct incentives to overcome the possible underprovision in anti-money laundering legislation and enforcement. The paper also shows how, in such an international context, anti-money laundering legislation can be easily misused as a political weapon in the cross-border fight against "unwanted individuals" and gives concrete examples for such an arbitrary enforcement.

Police officer support for quasimilitary stress training and orientation toward outsiders and nonlaw enforcement functions

This paper is about the meaning of police officers' support for the traditional socialization model of the quasi-military stress academy and its effects on their attitudes toward outsiders and non-law enforcement functions. More specifically, it examines consequences of quasi-military training on attitudes toward civilians in police departments, on serving minority groups and the community, and on criticality ratings of job functions such as mediation, crime prevention and community policing. Based on part of a larger job task survey conducted under the auspices of a state criminal justice training council, it includes over 70 percent of all patrol officers and their first-line supervisors in a rural New England state.     

法律冲安时的适用标准——以刘家海诉交警部门案为例

法律毕竞是人为制定的规则,法律之间的冲突从某种意义上是不可避免的.司法,作为规则之治的终结者,自然需要对冲突的法律进行选择适用.尽管立法法已经出台,但现实的司法判决表明,法律冲突时的适用标准依然存在问题.刘家海诉交警部门案就是一例.通过将该案的争论焦点渐次展开可以发现,立法法中貌似明确的适用标准起码可以进行三个方面的补充:一是原则考量的引入,二是立法权替代立法机关进行解释,三是社会效果考量的必要.     

论行政强制执行

行政强制执行是行政权实现的重要保障.目前,关于行政强制执行的概念存在着执行主体是一元还是多元、执行外延是广义还是狭义的争论;关于行政强制执行的特点则基本达成共识,即具有行政性、强制性和执行性三大特征;关于行政强制执行的种类,按不同的标准,可以有不同的划分.行政强制执行权的归属有三种模式选择,即行政机关自力强制执行、申请司法机关强制执行和二者的折衷.我国虽然采取折衷模式,但尚存在一些弊端,因此,有必要依法加以明确,将行政强制执行权归还行政机关.行政强制执行程序的设定一般应经过作出决定、送达决定和实施决定三个阶段.     

2002年刑事执行法学研究的回顾与展望

据统计,本年度在各类刊物上发表的有关刑事执行法学的论文有200多篇,内容涉及刑事执行法的各个方面.本年度主要的学术活动有:2002年1月30日至31日在北京举行了由中国政法大学刑事司法研究中心、中国人民大学犯罪与监狱学研究所、中国监狱学会等单位联合主办的"刑事执行法制建设理论研讨……     

2001年刑事执行法学研究的回顾与展望

一、研究概况 2001年是新世纪的第一年.在这一年里,刑事执行法学的研究呈现一派欣欣向荣的景象,理论研讨热烈而富有成效的展开.据不完全统计,本年度在各类刊物上发表的有关刑事执行法学的论文有200多篇.出版的专著有:葛炳瑶主编<依法治监论>、王利荣著<行刑法律机能研究>、夏宗素、朱济民主编<中外监狱制度比较研究文集>以及由中国监狱学会和加拿大刑法改革与刑事政策国际中心合著的<中加矫正制度比较研究>等.     

Private antitrust enforcement and the role of harmed parties in public enforcement

It is commonly believed that the possibility to sue privately for antitrust damages increases the probability that anticompetitive actions are prosecuted at the cost of an increased probability that procompetitive actions are prosecuted. We extend the analysis by taking into account that private parties often submit evidence during public investigation. Such parties consider private suit as a partial substitute for public prosecution. The trial option might induce these parties to be less willing to contribute evidence to public cases. Private trials crowd out public prosecution. In effect, the probability of prosecution of anticompetitive actions might decrease, while the earlier result that the probability of prosecuted actions being prosecuted is confirmed. In general, while the attractiveness of trials weakly decreases by considering a reporting possibility, they can remain an enforcement efficacy increasing institution.     

执法人性化争议

执法人性化在我国的刑事执法领域和行政执法领域是比较时髦的话题,但实践中依然存在一些错误倾向,本文主要探讨执法人性化的必然性和如何实现执法人性化的问题。     

警察文化建设与公安工作

警察文化是当代人民警察在公安实践中创造的精神和物质成果的总和,是增强人民警察思想政治工作吸引力和感染力的重要载体。大力加强警察文化建设,有助于推进思想政治工作深入化,增强队伍的凝聚力,同时对于树立人民警察的良好形象、进一步密切警民关系也有着十分重要的作用。为此,我们应该提高认识,建构警察文化中的主流文化,在加强警察思想文化建设的同时,努力提高民警的科学文化素质。     

论反垄断法执法主体的设置——从执法权分配角度分析

市场经济的核心在于维护一个公平有效的竞争机制。而反垄断法因其在保护、促进竞争和维护市场秩序方面起着基础和统领作用．被誉为“经济宪法”。徒法不足以自行,光有一部精良先进的法律条文是不够的,还得通过法的实施．方能实现法的效果。在法律实施机构之间划分执法权．是法律实施体制中其他制度运行的前提,对于法律的有效实施有着重要的意义。本文主要从执法权划分角度探讨反垄断法实施体制中执法主体的设置,以及执法机构与行业监管机构在反垄断监管领域内的关系,通过比较国外的法律规定及实践,并对我国实施不久的《反垄断法》进行评述．综合分析中国现有反垄断执法主体执法权分配中存在的问题,进而提出完善我国现有反垄断执法主体体制的建议一