死刑复核中法医鉴定结论审查的特点与建议——基于634例统计分析

本文通过对634例死刑复核案件中法医鉴定结论审查情况的回顾性分析,发现死刑复核案件中法医鉴定结论具有5个特点:(1)死刑复核案件中法医鉴定结论需要移交法医审查的数量较多:(2)死刑复核案件中法官对鉴定结论或其他技术性问题审查的能力普遍不足,且差异很大:(3)死刑复核案件中法医鉴定结论质量差异较大,经过一审、二审审理,死刑复核案件中的法医学鉴定结论仍然存在各种问题,其中结论依据不足,可能需要补充鉴定、重新鉴定或无法继续鉴定的约占8%左右;(4)死刑复核案件中法医鉴定结论是否需要移送法医审查,受鉴定结论本身和法官个人因素的影响:(5)随着死刑复核工作的开展,法官对法医鉴定结论审查的能力有所提高。根据统计的结果,本文对目前死刑复核案件中法医鉴定结论的审查模式给予了一定的肯定,并对审查模式的不足进行了初步分析,在此基础上提出了完善死刑复核程序中鉴定结论审查内容、审查程序,提高法官鉴定结论的审查能力,建立技术法官制度的建议。     

法律世界观紊乱时代的司法、民意和政治——以李昌奎案为中心

李昌奎案代表了一类"简单的""难办案件",无论法官如何决策,处理结果都不能取得良好的法律效果和社会效果。该案反映出这是一个法律世界观缺乏整体性和融贯性的时代。民意、司法与政治之间复杂的互动,以及社会对刑事司法系统的不信任,虽非中国特有的问题,但暴露出部分中国司法人员和学者对司法公信力、合法性、稳定性的理解是单维、偏颇的,缺乏健全的司法理念。经由对该案的讨论,本文强调,司法应该弥合而不是加大法律与社会的差距,如果司法要参与社会变革,它必须满足民众对公正的基本心理需求。另一方面,新媒体的兴起,使人们得以在事件流中辨识法律的社会意义,多元的法律世界观有可能获得融贯。     

黄海勇案引渡程序研究(下)——以美洲人权法院黄海勇诉秘鲁案判决书为主要依据

黄海勇引渡案是新中国成立以来最为复杂的引渡案。该案不仅涉案金额巨大,犯罪嫌疑人滞留境外时间漫长,历经秘鲁地方法院、秘鲁最高法院、秘鲁宪法法院审判,而且被提交到美洲人权委员会和美洲人权法院,并由中国专家证人出庭作证。反思黄海勇案中的引渡程序,我们应当持之以恒地坚持境外追逃,及时化解对方对我国司法制度特别是死刑问题的误解,严格遵守对方法律提交引渡请求,全面提交案件材料并果断地作出外交承诺,如实向国际社会证明中国刑事法治的进步,妥善应对引渡中的程序性意外,正确处理在国外羁押期限折抵刑期的问题。展望黄海勇案,我们应当充分保障黄海勇的诉讼权利,全部兑现对秘鲁政府做出的承诺,实现对于黄海勇的公正判决,从而向世界证明中国刑事法治的发展与进步,提升中国的国际刑事法治形象,增强国际社会对于中国刑事法治的信心,实现我国境外追逃和国际引渡合作的良性循环。     

从死刑的存废谈毒品犯罪死刑的限制

在人类的文明史上,死刑是资格最老的刑罚之一,其历史至少和国家的历史一样漫长。死刑又是发育、成熟最早的刑罚,当其他刑罚还处于萌芽幼稚状态时,死刑即进入了自己的“黄金时期”。死刑还是最早进入衰亡时期的刑罚之一,随着人类社会从农业文明进入工业文明,商品经济取代自然经济,死刑的生存便出现了危机。死刑存废之争已持续了二百多年,从我国刑法来看,死刑仍然占有十分重要的地位,对于死刑的适用还较为广泛。在现代法治社会里,死刑的设置与适用应极为慎重。对毒品犯罪的死刑使用应当予以必要限制。     

交通肇事罪认定中的几个问题

刑法第 1 33条规定 ,因逃逸致人死亡的 ,处 7年以上有期徒刑。该规定相对于类似的过失犯罪来说处刑明显偏重 ,有太多的功利色彩 ,致使罪责刑不相适应。《最高人民法院关于审理交通肇事刑事案件具体应用法律若干问题解释》第 5条第 2款的规定不符合共同犯罪的理论 ,该规定中的单位主管人员、机动车辆所有人、承包人或乘车人等指使者与肇事者之间缺乏共同的过失。     

也论死者名誉的民法保护

在死者名誉的民法保护问题上,司法实践和传统理论之间出现了矛盾,如何解决这一矛盾成为一个非常现实的问题。理论界从各种角度为实践中的做法寻找理论依据,现有的一些观点各有利弊,但都未能合理解释实践与理论之间的这个矛盾。改变对权利能力的界定,是解决这一问题的关键之所在。     

Are self-identified Christian fundamentalists really more supportive of capital punishment? Exploring the relationship between fundamentalism and death penalty attitudes

Christian fundamentalism has often been linked to death penalty support, despite mixed results across more than a decade of empirical studies. More recently, a line of research has emerged that has called for a reconceptualization of fundamentalism as harsh and rigid, instead of being more a multifaceted concept. In the spirit of this call, we investigated the relative importance of Christian fundamentalism on death penalty attitudes when compared with non-religious social attitudes. Using 1,560 respondents from the 2008 General Social Survey data, we found self-identified Christian fundamentalism, though not biblical literalism or religious denomination, remained a significant predictor of death penalty attitudes when attitudes toward LGBT marriage equality were included in the model. Unexpectedly, white women who endorsed LGBT marriage equality were also more likely to support the death penalty. Based on our findings, we discuss implications and areas for future research.     

Medical negligence in drug associated deaths

According to epidemiological studies adverse drug events are one of the most frequently encountered complications during medical treatment, a leading cause of hospitalisation and frequent cause of death. However, medical malpractice claims due to medication errors seem to be relatively rare. Based on a retrospective multicentre study on medical malpractice cases with lethal outcome (n = 4450), drug related cases (n = 575) were further evaluated. In 50% of cases a causal connection between drug therapy and death could be ruled out already after autopsy. In 232 cases a causal connection between drug therapy and death could be approved (drug allergies, relative overdose, wrong application, mix-up of drugs and sepsis after injection abscess). However, within the legal context only in 70 cases a medication error was approved which was in 42 cases causal for death, in 28 not. Administration of contraindicated drugs, incorrect application and relative overdose in renal insufficiency are the prevalent mistakes. Concerning the frequency of ADE in epidemiological studies medication errors are underreported in all data sources on medical malpractice; this seems to be due to the fact that even doctors and attending physicians rarely recognize an ADE; furthermore approving the connection between drug effect and death is extremely difficult for the expert witness.     

The Phenomenon of Death

Daniel Callahan’s essay raises big and important questions about how the biotechnological project to extend life and defeat aging may bring many undesirable consequences. At worst, it will usher in a new age of extended debility, with able minds trapped for decades in enfeebled bodies or able bodies lingering for decades with enfeebled minds. At best, our future success at extending vigorous life will create serious disruptions of the social order. But the essay fails to illuminate, more fully, the nature of death as a human problem, or to establish the basis for setting limits on the worst excesses of the bio-immortality project.

浅谈死刑核准权收归最高人民法院后的程序完善问题

死刑核准权已经收归了最高人民法院,这种经历了辩证否定的权力回归是法治的胜利。但是随着相关司法解释的出台与施行,最高人民法院复核死刑的程序还存在一些纰漏和不足,如审理方式问题、对被告人进行讯问的问题、人民检察院及被害人是否应当参与的问题、辩护权问题、证明标准问题等仍然需要进一步地探讨和完善。