Factors affecting simulated jurors' decisions in capital cases

Abstract

Previous psycho-legal research has claimed that the process of selecting death-qualified jurors for capital cases creates conviction-prone juries. The studies on which these claims are based have employed simulation methodologies to examine the relationship between subjects' death-penalty attitudes and verdict decisions, as well as the effect of the death-qualifying voir dire itself. Despite admitted weaknesses of simulations in general, this method was employed in the present research so that conceptual comparisons to past findings could be drawn. Two experiments were designed to examine the issue of death-qualification and biased juries in a context of other potentially highly influential factors, namely, the strength of evidence and the degree of heinousness. Our results failed to find any of the relationships between death-penalty attitudes and verdict decisions that would be predicted from past research. Instead, the subjects' decisions were influenced, virtually exclusively, by the strength of the evidence presented in the case, as is legally prescribed. In the light of these findings, the discussion focused on the questions of reliability and external validity of simulation research, the potential problems caused by method-specific factors in determining the outcome of such methodology, the attitude-behavior link, and the danger of premature and un-warranted application to the legal system of findings from simulations.     

Underpinning success in the real world of corporations law

This paper reports on an action research project which sought to evaluate and guide ongoing teaching and learning development in Principles of Corporations Law, a semester-long unit of study. Typically, enrolments in this subject area include students from a range of cultural contexts for whom the legislative and administrative concepts of the unit are unfamiliar and who also experience significant difficulties with cultural conventions of communication and business practice. At our university, unit enrolments include a high proportion of distance education as well as non-English speaking background (NESB) students, predominantly from China, who have not studied units formerly considered as prerequisite, and many of whom experience difficulties with basic academic skills. As the development team planned and created teaching features to ensure better learning outcomes for these students, it was clear that some truly contextual thinking as well as some practicable solutions would be required. While we had determined in the redesign planning that scenario- or problem-based learning (PBL) with its emphasis on finding, understanding and using information in context, was best suited to help students acquire the skills that underpin success in the unit, our experience in the project indicated students had a broader range of more basic needs. It emerged that students were struggling with fundamental issues that would need to be addressed before real change could occur.     

Increasing jurors' participation in trials

A field experiment is reported that examines the advantages and disadvantages of two juror participation procedures: Allowing jurors to take notes during the trial, and allowing jurors to direct questions to witnesses. The presence or absence of both procedures was randomly assigned to 34 civil and 33 criminal trials in Wisconsin circuit courts. Following the trials, questinnaires were administered to judges, lawyers, and jurors. Overall, no evidence is found to support the hypotheses that juror notetaking would serve as a useful memory aid, would assist the jury with recall of the judge's instructions, or would increase the jurors' confidence in their verdict. The hypothesis that juror notetaking would increase juror satisfaction with the trial was supported. None of the findings supported the conclusion that juror notetaking was distracting, that notetakers were overly influential during the deliberations, that the jurors' notes were inaccurate, that the notes favored the plaintiff, or that the notes heightened juror disagreement about the trial evidence. It was hypothesized, but not found, that allowing juror questions of witnesses would uncover important issues in the trial and would increase the jurors' satisfaction with the trial procedure. However, juror questions did serve to alleviate juror doubts about the trial testimony, and provided the lawyers with feedback about the jurors' perception of the trial. No evidence was found to support the expectations that juror questions would slow the trial, would upset the lawyers' strategy, or that the question-asking procedure would be a nuisance to the courtroom staff. Furthermore, the lawyers did not appear overly reluctant to object to inappropriate questions from jurors, and jurors did not report being embarassed or angry when their questions were objected to.Dispute Resolution Research Center, Northwestern University     

物权法中的公法问题

以保护私人财产权为宗旨的物权法，其颁布在全社会引起了极大的反响。本文从公法的视角。围绕物权法的内容，对物权与财产权的关系、物权平等保护、公权力对物权的保护及可能的侵害、国家征收征用补偿制度中的公共利益等问题进行分析，希望对物权法有深刻的认识和思考。     

WTO法与我国解读之辨析--兼论入世后我国经济法律制度的创新思路

本文针对当前学术界、理论界解读我国入世及相关法律文件中关于“特殊经济区”、“政府入世”与“补贴”制度等问题作出辨识 ,同时对我国入世后经济法律制度的创新 ,从建立统一制度原则 ,重视质量经济、关注生态环境三个方面提供了思路和意见。     

A need for greater understanding of civil law entities by common law jurisdictions

In the course of the last six months, the ratification by theSwiss parliament of The Hague Convention of 1 July 1985 on theLaw Applicable to Trusts and on their Recognition has generatedmuch attention. There has also     

关于物权法体系设计的几点建议

为适应市场经济发展和满足人民生活需要 ,中国民法典立法工作正在紧锣密鼓地进行 ,特别是自去年 12月法工委颁布民法草案之后 ,民法典立法成为全社会关注的热点 ,学界纷纷以不同的方式为这部法典的诞生贡献出自己的心血。为此 ,本刊特策划一组稿件 ,以期对这场讨论有所裨益     

The law of moments: understanding the flashpoint that ignited the riots

Abstract

A number of major organisations have, over the last five years or so, become involved in offering advice on the taking and use of photographs of children. The Information Commissioner's Office, for example, has issued guidance on the legal situation surrounding the photographing of children and the NSPCC has drawn up recommendations, for community groups, concerning the placement of children's photographs on websites.     

论物权法中物权和债权的区分

物权法制定过程中,首先需要解决物权与债权的区分问题.区分物权和债权,不仅是关系到民法典体系问题,而且也关系到物权法体系的建构问题.物权与债权区分的具体意义在于,明确物权作为支配权的属性;明确物权具有对世效力和优先效力;明确物权客体的特定性;明确物权的法定性和公示性;明确物权的长期性.     

判例在中国传统法中的功能

In traditional Chinese law, cases are the judicial decisions of general effects determined by special procedures. Before the Period of Spring and Autumn and Warring States, the main form of Chinese law was cases. After that period, Chinese legal system had gradually accommodated various forms in coexistence, with codes as the main body but cases as supplementary. Such a system maintained for a long time. Those cases in the codification era were based on codes and functioned to broaden the scope of legislation, supplement the legislative techniques and strengthen the effect of rules. As to the relationship between the establishment rule and the recurring rule of cases, ancient Chinese law persisted in the recurring rule and thus it maintained a relatively steady supply of rules while maintaining an inner stable legal forms. Wang Shirong, professor, head of the Research Department of Northwest University of Political Science and Law (NWUPL), Standing Director of the Legal History Society of China, Vice-director of the National Clinical Education Committee, Honored Professor of Gansu Institute of Political Science and Law, Consultant of Xi’an Intermediary Court, a project manager of the legal clinic program of NWUPL. His Major researches cover: Chinese legal history, the legal history of criminal law and the clinical legal education. His representative works include: A Study of Chinese Court Decisions in Ancient Time (1997, CUPL Press), A Study of Ancient Cases in China (1997, CUPL Press), Legal Cases and Law Development (2006, Law Press), and more than 20 papers released in key journals.     

简析《物权法》不动产登记机关的赔偿责任

《物权法》规定,房地产登记机关囚登记错误,给他人造成损害的,登记机构应当承担赔偿责任。但适并没有具体说明申请程序,责任性质和对损害赔偿的责任标准。就这些问题,笔者提出了一些的意见。登记机关如果登记错误,登记的权利状态不符合申请人提交的申请材料中的所请求的状态。审查的准则包括正式审查的立法和实质性审查。对损害赔偿责任的确定应取决于赔偿责任的构成要素,包括的主要内容和行为因素,此赔偿责任的标准应适用过错责任的原则。     

物权法中的若干行政法问题

Many elements of administrative law are related to real right law. The regulations on public interests concern the base of interference of public powers. The content of administrative private law is associated with the phenomenon of “Flucht in das Privatrecht”. The control of the property by the based self-ruling community is connected with indirect state administration. The rights of the property by citizens are subjective public rights. Special sacrifice and die junktimklausel are preconditions of compensation for expropriation. The register of real estate shows the interference of public right. The real right law makes rules for administrative public domain is a special example. Liang Fengyun is a juris doctor, who is a judge of the Supreme Court of China. Her individual monographs include Selected Application of Administrative Litigation Judgment and Studies on Public Domain and her co-authored works are Principles of Normal Administrative Law, Seek for Good Circulation of Administrative Litigation System, Better the Administrative Litigation System of China. Moreover, her over 40 essays also appeared in Chinese academic journals.     

医疗纠纷案件审理的法律适用若干问题初探

笔者结合审判工作实际和有关规定，试从案件管辖、受理立案、举证责任及分担原则、医疗纠纷鉴定、过错认定、赔偿原则、赔偿责任、调解程序设置及效力认定等方面，就医疗纠纷案件审理法律适用若干问题进行讨论。     

Perceptions of domestic violence and mock jurors' sentencing decisions

The purpose of the investigation was to examine the influence of the victim's provocation and hopefulness on the sentencing of a husband convicted of domestic violence. It was hypothesized that mock jurors would assign less-severe sentencing if the victim was provoking and hopeful. Mock jurors read one of four factorial court case combinations of provocation and hopefulness and rendered an individual predeliberation sentence and a group postdeliberation sentence. Analyses revealed a significant effect of provocation, indicating that participants reduced the sentencing for the defendant when the wife was provoking relative to when she was not provoking. The analyses also revealed an effect of gender on predeliberation sentencing, with women delivering more-severe sentences than men. The effect of gender was not present in the postdeliberation sentencing, indicating that deliberation produced a sentencing compromise between women and men. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

医疗纠纷案件审理的法律适用若干问题初探

笔者结合审判工作实际和有关规定,试从案件管辖、受理立案、举证责任及分担原则、医疗纠纷鉴定、过错认定、赔偿原则、赔偿责任、调解程序设置及效力认定等方面,就医疗纠纷案件审理法律适用若干问题进行讨论。     

Effects of jurors' identification with the victim depend on likelihood of victimization

Courtroom lore suggests that jurors identifying with rape victims will show antidefendant biases, but empirical findings do not unequivocally support this supposition. On theoretical bases, it was predicted that identification with the victim's gender would bias judgment against the defendant when the circumstances of the crime are likely to be encountered in the daily life of the juror or a related potential victim. Parents of female-only (PFs) or of male-only children (PMs) judged defendants in an alleged rape, occurring either in a library, where the victim had engaged in normal routine, or in a street, under unusual and risky conditions. PEs were more conviction-prone and punitive than PMs only for the library case. Findings support theories of defensive attribution (Shaver, 1970) and of attribution of actors and observers (Jones & Nisbett, 1972) but are inconsistent with a variant of defensive attribution (Walster, 1966) based on denial of chance occurrence of threatened harm. The systematic exclusion of jurors with certain characteristics from particular cases based on suppositional criteria is questioned, rigor of juror assessment notwithstanding. It is suggested that research concentrate on discovering the conditions under which biases are, or are not manifested, and on developing means of reducing bias effects in impaneled jurors.