Court evaluations of young children's testimony in child sexual abuse cases

Purpose

Prosecutors working with child sexual abuse (CSA) cases involving young children have raised concerns that reliability criteria from the Supreme Court of Sweden are holding children's testimony to impossible standards (e.g., expecting the child's testimony to be long, rich in detail and spontaneous). This study aimed to address these concerns by investigating how District Courts and Courts of Appeal employ said criteria in their testimonial assessments of young child complainants.

Methods

Court documents from District Courts (n = 100) and Courts of Appeal (n = 45) in CSA cases involving 100 children age 7 years and under were analysed with respect to the courts’ testimonial assessments.

Results

Testimonial assessments were more frequently referenced in acquitting verdicts and in cases with evidence of low corroborative value. Richness in detail was the most frequently used reliability criterion, followed by spontaneity. Most criteria were used in favour of the children's testimony. However, the length criterion was typically used against the reliability of the children's testimony.

Conclusions

Our findings confirm prosecutors’ concerns that criteria from the Supreme Court are frequently used in evaluations of young children's testimony. This is troublesome, as some criteria do not correspond to current research on young children's witness abilities. For example, compared to testimony given by older children or adults, testimony provided by a young child is typically not long or rich in detail. We encourage prosecutors to extend their own knowledge on young children's capability as witnesses and present this to the court.     

The effect of odour reinstatement on children's episodic memory

Children's memory reports are often sparse, which increases the need for efficient interview methods. The present study investigated whether odour reinstatement can aid children's memory and increase the amount of information recalled from an experienced event. Children (N = 106, mean age 10 years, 8 months) experienced a magic show where a vanilla odour was present and were interviewed about their memory of the event either one week, or six months, after the magic show. During the interview, half of the children re-experienced the same vanilla odour. In contrast to studies on adult participants, no odour-reinstatement effect was found with the child participants in the present study. On the other hand, odour reinstatement reduced the children's ratings of how strong their emotions were during the event. Thus, odour reinstatement may affect different forensically relevant factors, and this should be considered in future research.     

Young children's responses to cross-examination style questioning: the effects of delay and subsequent questioning

In a single experiment with 5- and 6-year-old children, we examined whether the changes that children make in response to cross-examination style questioning vary as a function of delay and/or persist in subsequent interviews. Children visited the local police station; 1–3 days later they were interviewed in a direct examination format. Either 1–3 days or 8 months later, children were interviewed in a cross-examination format designed to persuade them to change their original responses. One week following the cross-examination interview, the direct examination questions were repeated. Relative to direct examination scores, the accuracy of children's reports decreased significantly during cross-examination, irrespective of delay. When children were interviewed again 1 week after cross-examination, however, their responses (and their accuracy levels) were very similar to those observed during the direct examination interview. That is, during cross-examination, children made changes to their earlier testimony even when their memory for the event remained intact.     

著作权合理使用制度之正当性研究

著作权"合理使用"制度是各国著作权制度中对著作权限制的主要内容。合理使用制度体现了著作权法保护作者和其他著作权人的利益与促进知识与信息广泛传播的双重目的。合理使用的正当性可以从多方面加以认识,包括激励与接近之平衡、宪法与公共利益、以交易成本和古典经济学为基础的经济学分析等。在网络环境下,著作权合理使用制度仍然有其存在的合理性。我国颁布实施的《信息网络传播权保护条例》对合理使用的规定即是这种体现。     

我国著作权合理使用判断标准的反思与重构

因素主义和规则主义是世界各国著作权合理使用判断标准的两种基本模式,各有利弊.我国立法目前采用完全的规则主义模式,在实践中造成了判断标准的僵化,无法完全适应现实生活的需要.以利益平衡为原则,以作品的使用目的、被使用作品的性质、使用作品的程度以及对被使用作品的市场影响为要素并辅之以具体规则的"原则 要素 规则"的模式应当成为我国著作权合理使用判断标准的重构方向.     

Rights,responsibilities and regulation – the three Rs of education: a consideration of the state's control over parental choice in education

Education is both a right and a responsibility. International instruments such as the International covenant on civil and political rights and the International convention on the rights of the child affirm the right of all children to education. This right is spelt out in the education legislation of all states and territories in Australia. Education is not only free but is compulsory for all children between certain ages. The obligation is imposed on parents (in accordance with definitions contained therein) to ensure that their children are both enrolled at and attend school. However, parental choice of education provider is allowed within each jurisdiction by way of state, private or church schools, all of which are registered and regulated to varying degrees by the state. The legislation of each jurisdiction also makes some degree of provision for parents who choose to opt out their children from any formal education setting and to educate them at home. Home education is also subject to state regulation. The assumption by the state of the responsibility for education guides this policy and legislation. The argument for state control of all education, no matter how and by whom it is provided, is that the state has an overriding interest in ensuring the economic well-being of its citizens and the growth of its intellectual capital. The state acknowledges that the responsibility for education is shared with parents, primarily by providing penalties for parents who fail to ensure enrolment and attendance of their children at a school. There is evidence that more and more parents in developed countries worldwide are choosing to educate their children at home, and anecdotal evidence suggests that Australia is part of this trend. To this end, this article critically examines the balance and relationship between the exercise of parental choice and responsibility in education, and state regulation and control. It does so by examining the means by which the legislation of different jurisdictions allows for choice in the exercise of the right to education, with particular reference to home education, places limitations on that choice and imposes control on the delivery of education outside state schools.     

著作权合理使用制度的人权法反思——基于必要性的考量

合理使用作为著作权制度中权利保护与权利限制的"安全阀",其适用范畴的任何伸缩,都可能在一定程度上触及言论自由权、受教育权、隐私权等人权问题。回溯知识产权与人权挂钩的历史事件,反思在著作权保护与人权保护同样强势扩张过程中所产生的权利失衡,进而指出合理使用制度的未来变革应当体现知识产权保护的人权属性无疑具有重大意义。     

交易成本和价格歧视理论在著作权合理使用中的定位与适用

经济学交易成本理论和价格歧视理论是数字时代强化著作权保护,限制合理使用的主要理论依据.由于某些合理使用是为克服交易成本过高的市场失灵而设,交易成本理论和价格歧视理论对合理使用范围的缩小具有一定的解释力.但是,它们不是确定合理使用范围的唯一标准.除交易成本外,外部性的内部化和公共利益也是影响合理使用适用的重要因素.当存在正外部性无法有效内部化的市场失灵,或者基于维护公共利益,也应考虑适用合理使用规则,以确保作品正外部性的充分释放.     

互联网挑战传统著作权制度--兼论著作权合理使用制度在网络空间中的新形式

互联网的无地域性和信息共享性挑战传统著作权制度中著作权的地域性和专有性。为了解决它们之间的冲突,设立世界著作权集体管理组织是一种重要考虑。在网络空间,著作权合理使用也存在新的形式,"技术措施合理限制制度"是其中一个十分重要的制度。     

著作权法中“合理使用”与公共利益研究

一般认为著作权法是私法,以保障著作权人的利益为归依.然而,随着网络时代著作权人专有权的不断扩张,作为限制著作权人权利的合理使用制度越来受到重视.一方面,合理使用制度保障了公众对作品的接近、增进了知识和学习、促进了民主文化;另一方面,公共利益又是判定某一使用作品的行为是否为合理使用的重要指标.从公共利益视角审视合理使用制度,分析两者之间的关系,具有重要的学术意义和实践价值.     

合理使用一般条款的猜想与证明——合理使用制度立法模式探讨

合理使用是使用者的一项民事权利,应当有一定的制度保障和物质保障。我国《著作权法》对合理使用制度的规定采取的是“具体规定性”的立法模式,难以适应新科技发展对合理使用制度的内在要求。我国未来著作权立法应当改“具体规定性”的合理使用制度立法模式为“抽象规定性”的合理使用制度立法模式,规定合理使用的一般条款和合理使用的一般构成要件;为保障使用人的合理使用权的实现,应当规定版权人阻碍合理使用权实现的法律责任。     

论商标的指示性合理使用

在司法实践中,正品转售商经常会援引指示性合理使用以抗辩自己在店铺招牌上使用他人注册商标的行为不构成侵权。通过梳理目前国内的典型案例,可发现当转售商单独或突出性使用他人商标于其店招之上时,法院仍然会作出侵权判定,但不同的法院在涉案行为侵犯商品商标或服务商标,以及指示性合理使用的构成要件问题上存在分歧。进一步考察美国及欧盟的立法及司法实践,可以总结出指示性合理使用需要满足必要性、合理性、善意以及不构成相关公众混淆四个构成要件。在使用他人商标指示他人商品的来源的行为上,指示性合理使用与权利用尽的概念范围有重叠之处。指示性合理使用的主张以涉案行为构成商标性使用为前提,其作为一种构成商标侵权的例外,宜在涉案行为满足商标侵权的构成要件的基础上,作为侵权抗辩理由进行援引。无混淆可能性作为指示性合理使用的必然结果和内在要求,应成为指示性合理使用的构成要件之一。同时,若权利人的商标为其企业名称或其主要组成部分,转售商的使用还涉嫌构成擅自使用他人有一定影响的企业名称(字号)等不正当竞争行为。     

SOCIAL WORK AND LAW: A MODEL APPROACH TO INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION,PRACTICE, AND COMMUNITY‐BASED ADVOCACY

Many schools of social work maintain partnerships with schools in other fields, including law schools. Social work educators also seek to provide students with real‐life educational experiences. Schools maintain ties with community‐based organizations to facilitate field placements for students and also to effect social change. I review existing literature regarding social work interdisciplinary education, focusing on law and social work. I describe a social work program designed to provide students with interdisciplinary education both in the classroom and in the field and to effect community‐based advocacy. Finally, I describe pending research designed to measure the program's efficacy.     

Listening to children: Participation rights of minors in Italy and the United States

This article compares laws and policies in Italy and the US regarding children's right to be heard and to engage in the life of the community. Italy has adopted a strong children's rights perspective, informed by the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The US, with its pre-modern constitution and resistance to international law, has been slow to recognise children's rights to voice and agency. The US Supreme Court has extended some due process rights to children in criminal court proceedings, but the US lags far behind Italy in recognition of children's rights to participate in civic life and collective decision-making. Child well-being rankings may reflect these differences in attitudes towards children's rights. Italy ranks significantly higher than the US on objective measures of child well-being and Italian children report superior peer and family relationships.     

The effects of different paraphrasing styles on the quality of reports from young child witnesses

The link between criminal attitudes and behavior is well established throughout the literature. We know, for example, that offenders have higher levels of criminal attitudes than non-offenders. However, it is also likely that individual differences in criminal attitudes exist among offenders. The aim of the study is to explore the unique contribution of (1) individual, (2) criminal career, and (3) social characteristics to individual differences in criminal attitudes. Data were used from the Prison Project, a large-scale study among prisoners in all Dutch remand centers (N = 1612). Hierarchical linear regression models were used to identify factors associated with two types of inmates' attitudes. Among the most salient relationships with criminal attitudes were having more agreeable personality traits, having a criminogenic social network, and having experienced more prior incarcerations. Criminal history and social characteristics had the most salient links with criminal attitudes. The results seem to support the idea that criminal behavior is learned in interaction with criminal others, which is in line with the ideas of differential association and reinforcement. The current study might serve as a starting point for individually oriented prison intervention strategies and rehabilitation efforts based on specific offender characteristics.     

再论建筑作品的著作权保护——从“盛放鸟巢”烟花侵权纠纷案谈起

从国家体育场起诉“盛放鸟巢”烟花侵权案入手,通过界定建筑作品的保护范围,重点分析建筑作品的复制形式及其合理使用问题,再论我国建筑作品的著作权保护.意在强调建筑作品不包括建筑设计图和建筑模型,建筑作品与图形作品和模型作品是著作权法两类不同的保护客体.建筑作品的侵权与否主要取决于两个作品之间是否存在实质性相似.     

金融资源公平配置与金融监管法律制度的完善

金融资源观的提出为法学研究提供了新视角。目前我国城市与农村之间、不同所有制经济体之间金融资源配置严重不均衡,已经影响了社会公平。赶超战略下的金融监管制度设计偏差是金融资源配置失衡的重要原因。为实现金融资源配置的公平,需要构建包容性的金融监管法律制度,具体包括包容的金融市场准入制度和公平的金融市场退出制度。     

Guardians Ad Litem and Children's Attorneys in Arizona: A Qualitative Examination of the Roles

An ongoing debate exists with little research support concerning the differences in the roles of guardians ad litem (GAL) and children's attorneys (CA) in dependency cases. Through qualitative interviews, this study examined GALs’ and CAs’ perceptions and execution of roles. Both executed their roles similarly and agreed the best interests of the child and the child's wishes are important. Shared goals included child safety, ensuring the child's voice is heard, keeping the family together, and minimizing the distress to the child. Challenges to executing their roles were often systemic, including overwhelmed courts and lack of community resources to serve clients’ needs.     

实现正义——公平审判权在中国的发展

文章强调了一个有效的辩护援助体系对保障公平审判权的必要性。为了保障穷人能够平等地享有正义,一个国家必须拥有一套提供给他们律师的机制。文章分析了促使一个国家为她的公民建立有效公平审判权的关键因素。文章首先论述了,中国的法律援助体系在其公民权利保护进程中扮演的关键角色和继续发展法律援助对中国长远利益的必要性。其次,本文表明了,国际组织怎样通过培训和能力培养方式在支持权利保护的进程中发挥巨大作用。最后,文章指出只有充分尊重中国的自治,国际合作才能发挥更大作用。文章特别展示了IBJ的经验,以显示国际组织如何与中国政府开展合作,成功地提高中国公民权利保护水平。     

浅谈著作权保护的合理性问题

本文通过对合理性问题价值取向的分析,认为著作保护合理性问题的立法取向,应着重在保护作者权益的基础上,促进精神产品的流通,并通过对传播者利润的控制,降低最终消费者消费成本,以达到个人权利及社会精神成果共享之日趋平衡。