Empirical analysis of the STR profiles resulting from conceptual mixtures

Samples containing DNA from two or more individuals can be difficult to interpret. Even ascertaining the number of contributors can be challenging and associated uncertainties can have dramatic effects on the interpretation of testing results. Using an FBI genotypes dataset, containing complete genotype information from the 13 Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) loci for 959 individuals, all possible mixtures of three individuals were exhaustively and empirically computed. Allele sharing between pairs of individuals in the original dataset, a randomized dataset and datasets of generated cousins and siblings was evaluated as were the number of loci that were necessary to reliably deduce the number of contributors present in simulated mixtures of four or less contributors. The relatively small number of alleles detectable at most CODIS loci and the fact that some alleles are likely to be shared between individuals within a population can make the maximum number of different alleles observed at any tested loci an unreliable indicator of the maximum number of contributors to a mixed DNA sample. This analysis does not use other data available from the electropherograms (such as peak height or peak area) to estimate the number of contributors to each mixture. As a result, the study represents a worst case analysis of mixture characterization. Within this dataset, approximately 3% of three-person mixtures would be mischaracterized as two-person mixtures and more than 70% of four-person mixtures would be mischaracterized as two- or three-person mixtures using only the maximum number of alleles observed at any tested locus.     

共犯被告人之间供述一致定案能力分析——兼析我国刑事诉讼法第四十六条

共犯被告人之间的供述相互印证,但无其他证据佐证能否定案是目前法学界与司法实践中的一个难点.从我国刑事诉讼法第46条的内涵人手,论证该条中的"被告人供述"仅指证明对象被告人本人的供述,共犯被告人供述是该条所说的"其他证据",符合补强证据的要求,共犯被告人供述相互印证的情形下能够定案,而且这也是各国的立法通例.     

非犯罪化与我国的“严打＂政策

非犯罪化是与犯罪化相对应的刑事政策中"轻轻"政策的现实化,其基本理念源自于刑法谦抑性、刑法不完整性和刑法经济性等观念.我国的"严打"政策是一种积极的犯罪化政策,它与非犯罪化政策正好处于刑事政策的"两极",从它们体现的刑法理念而言,两者是不相容的,但在预防、抗制犯罪的目标选择上,却又并不存在冲突.因此,为了把"严打"纳入法治的轨道,有必要结合相关刑事政策,对其进行综合研究并得出科学的判断.     

Risk factors for sexual victimization among male and female homeless and runaway youth

Risk factors associated with the likelihood of being sexually victimized by a stranger or friend/acquaintance since being on the street was examined among 372 homeless and runaway youth. Young people were interviewed on the streets and in shelters by outreach workers using a systematic sampling strategy. Youth who engaged in more high-risk behaviors were expected to be at greater risk for sexual victimization by both known and unknown assailants. Results indicated that for females, running from home for the first time at an earlier age was associated with sexual victimization by both a stranger and friend/acquaintance. However, engaging in deviant subsistence strategies, survival sex, and grooming predicted being sexually victimized by a friend/acquaintance. For males, survival sex and grooming predicted stranger sexual victimization, whereas sexual orientation was associated with sexual victimization by a friend/acquaintance. Overall, 35% of the sample had been sexually victimized.     

Systematic differences in electropherogram peak heights reported by different versions of the GeneScan software

DNA profiling using STRs on the 310 and 3100 Genetic Analyzers routinely generates electropherograms that are analyzed with the GeneScan software available from the instrument's manufacturer, Applied Biosystems. Users have been able to choose from three different smoothing options that have been known to result in significant differences in the peak heights that are reported. Improvements in the underlying algorithm of the most recent version of the software also result in significant and somewhat predictable differences in peak height values. Laboratories that have performed validation studies using older versions of GeneScan should either reanalyze the data generated in those validation studies with the newest version of the software or otherwise take into consideration the systematically higher peak height values obtained as they begin following the recommendation of the manufacturer and use the new algorithm.     

论“挪而未用”行为的司法认定

对"挪而未用"行为是否成立犯罪的问题,存在着"否定说"与"肯定说"之分.本文作者主张"肯定说",认为在"挪"、"用"关系上,应当确立为"用"而"挪"的立场,将"挪"视为该罪客观要件的要素,将"用"作为其主观要件的内容,从而解决在挪用公款及其相关问题上司法认定的诸种难题.当挪用故意与占有目的难以区分时,应当首先推定为"占有",只有被告方做出有力反证并得到印证时,占有目的认定才足以被"挪用"所推翻.     

农村村民自治的理论溯源

有学者认为,村民自治作为一种"基层群众性自治",无论是在马恩列斯著作中,还是在毛泽东全集里,均找不到它的理论源头.本文作者认为,马克思主义经典作家提出的人民自治理论和毛泽东大力发展农村民主建设的思想,为我国实行村民自治提供了重要的理论依据.同时,村民自治又是当代中国领导人根据中国国情所进行的巨大理论创新,是马克思主义人民自治理论在中国的新发展.     

加强人民调解工作需依法规范进行

人民调解过程中随意性较大,举证、质证及调解的中立性都不规范.人民调解协议不是双方民事合同,而是三方协议.人民调解委员会是群众性的自治组织,不应具有"准行政权"或"准司法权".