Juvenile Court Context and Detention Decisions: Reconsidering the Role of Race,Ethnicity, and Community Characteristics in Juvenile Court Processes

The relationship between race/ethnicity, community dynamics, and juvenile court processes has long been established. Prior research has relied on city‐ or county‐level measures of community characteristics (e.g., racial composition, poverty) to examine how racial groups are processed within juvenile courts. To date, no study has utilized finer scale measures of geographic areas to examine how characteristics of juveniles’ communities impact court decisions. By utilizing official juvenile court data from a city in the southwest, this study draws upon attribution theory to examine how economic and crime community‐level measures directly and indirectly influence detention outcomes. Findings reveal that the effect of race and ethnicity in detention outcomes varies across communities, and the effect of ethnicity in detention decisions is mediated by economic community‐level measures. The theoretical and policy implications of the study findings are discussed.     

Public investment in private problems: legal aid and the family justice system

This paper examines findings from the Legal Aid Board Research Unit's Case Profiling Study in the light of the current reform programmes for both legal aid and family law. The findings relate to over 650 legally aided family cases including divorce, separation, ancillary relief and Children Act 1989 applications. The main aim of the study was to gain a better understanding of what is currently funded by the legal aid fund. Costs have been related to stages of cases and to the strategies employed by solicitors. Finally, I comment on the future role of legal aid in family law, suggesting that, to a large extent, public investment will be maintained. Remuneration of service providers will evolve as systems of contracting are introduced in January 2000. There will be continued emphasis on family mediation as an alternative method of dispute resolution. However, cases involving issues relating to children and their welfare will remain within the scope of public support. Domestic violence and other emergency issues will also merit high priority. Although there will be extensive changes in other areas of legal aid, family law appears to remain relatively unscathed.     

The Obligations and Expectations of Couples Within Families: Three Modes of Interaction

What kinds of family structures emerge after a couple relationship is formed? How are obligations perceived towards the family of origin and the family of the partner? How are obligations perceived towards the older generation and towards children? How are conflicts of interest approached or resolved? How are the obligations arising from these personal relationships affected by gender, ethnicity, culture and religion? This paper reports some findings from a qualitative study of 39 men and women aged 25–40 which investigates the social context for the legal regulation of couple relationships; whether marriage, cohabitation or civil partnerships.     

印度尼西亚政府克服贫困的新举措——家庭希望计划(PKH)

印度尼西亚政府于2007年建立了家庭希望计划,该计划属于有条件现金转移支付项目,它要求受助家庭把获得的救助金用于家庭中儿童的人力资本发展,因此,相应条件的设定主要集中在教育、营养和健康方面,体现了明显的促进发展的功能。虽然该计划还存在一定问题,但计划已初见成效,印度尼西亚的贫困问题尤其是儿童贫困问题通过该计划的实施得到了缓解,这对中国社会救助的发展完善具有一定的启示意义。     

晚清领事保护的发展及其局限

对于领事保护的推动,就融合有政治与人权双重因素。当然,这一双重因素的影响又是随着历史的发展而有所不同的。尽管世界最早的领事保护实践可以追溯至古希腊城邦时期,而中国最早的领事保护实践却只能追溯至晚清时期。当时的清政府迫于内外压力,逐步转变对华侨的"叛民"、"罪民"和"弃民"等观念,从而展开了"立约保护"、"领事机关的调查与交涉"等形式(甚至还包括军舰巡航等军事方式)的领事保护。晚清政府领事保护的发展是与其华侨观念及政策的转变密切相关的。清政府华侨政策和领事保护的变化,根本上还是以巩固和发展清朝的统治为出发点的,政治因素在其中居于主导地位。这也就是"家国一体"型国家的局限性所在。     

家事诉讼中法院证据调查制度研究——以我国诉讼模式的转换为背景

在我国立法和司法实践中,并没有明确家事诉讼与一般民事诉讼的区别,缺乏对家事诉讼的特殊性的考虑,尤其是在证据调查领域。在当事人主义诉讼模式下,当事人在举证不能或者遇到困难时,缺乏救济的方式和途径,法院也严格遵循一般民事纠纷的举证原则,不予主动调查。同时,法官的依职权介入容易被指责为职权主义的回归,从而有违法官中立的原则。在我国民事诉讼模式转型的背景下,家事诉讼中法院证据调查权不仅从实质正义的视角出发促进了中立原则的实现,而且弥补了当事人主义诉讼模式存在的缺陷。     

亲属拒证权制度与亲属伦理结构关系研究

亲属拒证权制度因有助于维护良好的亲属伦理秩序而得到世界各国的普遍认可,这一制度与社会亲属伦理结构之间存在紧密联系。亲属拒证权制度是社会主流亲属伦理观在刑事证人制度中的体现;亲属拒证权制度的制度设计对社会伦理结构具有引导作用,二者之间是一种决定与引导的互动关系。应当根据我国当前亲属伦理结构现状完善亲属拒证权制度,亦应当利用亲属拒证权制度确立的契机引导良好亲属伦理结构的巩固与完善。     

城镇化过程中农民家庭离散及治理研究——一个村庄的微观透视

家庭是社会的基石,农民家庭的稳定与幸福对于城镇化发展具有举足轻重的作用。改革开放40多年来,城镇化给城乡人民生活带来了巨大变化,也带来了新的挑战和困难。乡城流动过程中农民家庭发生异化,家庭成员或留或流,家庭处于离散状态。家庭离散虽然始于家庭,但要解决家庭离散问题,必须从制度入手,通过改变制度环境、实施制度关怀、实现多元合作治理,结束农民家庭的异态生存方式,给予其自由的迁移权。这不仅有利于实现农民家庭的体面劳动和幸福生活,而且也能为实现未来经济社会持续、稳定发展提供有力保障。     

Empirical validation of a family-member prioritization approach to maximize statistical power in missing person cases

In order to prioritize the exhumation of the most informative reference relatives to increase the statistical power of a reference group, a conditional simulation approach for missing person identification that combines both exclusion and inclusion power in reference families has been previously developed. The aim of this study is to empirically validate this approach by comparing its predicted theoretical prioritization model with the observed changes in statistical power in real cases of our laboratory, in which new relatives had already been added. We conclude that this approach is a reliable tool to choose the most appropriate reference relatives to complete a family group and improve the identification power of a Missing Person (MP).     

Japan's foreign aid: old and new contests

Abstract

Domestic and international contests explain the transformation of Japan's foreign aid programme begun in the early 1950s. Through contests between domestic players, Japan has streamlined its aid processes by introducing institutional innovations, accommodating new actors in aid policy and delivery, and responding more sensitively to public opinion and independent advice. At the international level, contests have come from the Development Assistance Committee/Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (DAC/OECD), the USA, and China. Through these contests, Japan has emerged as a more rounded aid donor. Its new aid model blends Western principles with concepts of ‘self-help’, favouring large infrastructure projects that serve both Japan's and recipient countries’ interests.