我国古代未成年人犯罪刑事立法的启示

中国古代法律制度深受儒家仁义道德主义思想的影响,对未成年人犯罪的处理就是其中之一,古称"恤幼"。"恤幼"思想认为统治者和社会对未成年人的健康成长负有不可推卸的责任,主张对未成年人犯罪实行不同于成年人的特别宽容制度,在刑事实体法和程序法上都主张对未成年人给予更多的关爱,并将其体现在刑事立法和司法实践中。这些刑事政策和法律规定不仅为当时的未成年人犯罪惩罚、预防工作指引了正确方向,为维护未成年人的特殊利益起到了积极作用,也为当代科学完善未成年人犯罪刑事政策的形成和发展提供了宝贵的资源。     

Privatising the war on drugs

A defining feature of the ‘9/11 wars’ has been the prominent role played by private military and security companies (pmsc). The growth of this market for military and security services has not gone unnoticed. Yet the role pmsc have played in supporting the US-led war on drugs has largely gone under the radar, both literally and figuratively. The aim of this article is to look at the activities of pmsc funded by the USA in Latin America, and to consider the specific consequences that arise from employing them in the field of counter-narcotics. It is argued that the use of pmsc further entrenches a costly and unsuccessful way of dealing with drugs. There is a need to move from a strict prohibitionist stance and consider alternatives to the war on drugs approach, but the use of pmsc creates another strong vested interest in maintaining an increasingly problematic and costly status quo.     

The Race for Critical Minerals in an Era of Geopolitical Realignments

ABSTRACT

The decarbonisation of the global economy in response to the climate crisis and the fourth industrial revolution, featuring artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G networks (massively accelerated in response to the coronavirus pandemic), has triggered a race to secure uninterrupted access to critical raw minerals (CRMs) that are indispensable inputs for high-technology applications. Moreover, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which unites Eurasia and Africa and loops in South America into a seamless space of trade, infrastructure and digital connectivity, challenges the dominance of traditional industrial powers (the United States, the European Union and Japan) and requires critical minerals. Rare earths, lithium and cobalt – among the most critical of the CRMs – are found in high geographic concentration, creating hotspots of contention, especially in unstable parts of the world. As economic transformations accelerate, securing access to these materials will both impact and help shape geopolitics in the years to come.     

Decomposing disproportionate minority contact in juvenile justice

The objective of this study was to decompose racial disparity in juvenile justice decision-making into a part explained by differing characteristics of racial groups, and an unexplained part often attributed to discrimination. Individual case-level data from Alabama and logistic regression were used to model detention, petition, and disposition decisions in the juvenile justice system. Decomposition of racial disparity between white and black juveniles using the nonlinear Blinder-Oaxaca methodology suggested that about a half to three fourths of the racial gaps in the three juvenile justice decision points were caused either by discrimination or unobserved predictors. Decomposition of racial disparity in juvenile justice can help devise effective public policy by quantifying the extent to which specific policies can reduce disproportionate minority contact.     

Effect of Psychopathy, Abuse, and Ethnicity on Juvenile Probation Officers’ Decision-Making and Supervision Strategies

Probation officers exercise substantial discretion in their daily work with troubled and troubling juvenile offenders. In this experiment, we examine the effect of psychopathic features, child abuse, and ethnicity on 204 officers’ expectancies of, recommendations for, and approach to supervising, juvenile offenders. The results indicate that officers (a) have decision-making and supervision approaches that are affected by a youth’s psychopathic traits and history of child abuse—but not ethnicity; (b) view both abused youth and psychopathic youth as highly challenging cases on a path toward adult criminality; and (c) have greater hope and sympathy for abused youth than psychopathic youth. For abused youth, officers are likely to recommend psychological services and “go the extra mile” by providing greater support, referrals, and networking than is typical for their caseload. For psychopathic youth, officers expect poor treatment outcomes and are” extra strict,” enforcing rules that typically are not enforced for others on their caseload.     

宽严相济政策在未成年人犯罪案件中的适用——以刑事诉讼程序中的检察环节为视角

检察机关要正确领会和切实贯彻宽严相济刑事司法政策,以"宽"与"严"相济为导向来处理未成年人犯罪。在具体执法手段上,要区分未成年人犯罪的不同动机和不同情节,采用多元的"宽"的执法方法;对未成年人犯罪性质恶劣、情节严重的要及时给以打击,该捕要捕、该诉要诉,当严则严;还可以考虑借鉴"恢复性司法"司法措施,以兼顾未成年犯罪人的权利保护和受害人损失的恢复与补偿。"宽"与"严"都要以实现社会公平、正义、和谐为其终极目的。     

未成年人犯罪刑罚适用区域性考察及其罚则改革探讨

现阶段,我国处置未成年人犯罪存在矫正措施单一、监禁刑的适用比例过高、非监禁刑基本处于空置状态、缓刑适用率不高、对非本地户籍的未成年犯罪人基本不适用缓刑等缺陷。应实事求是地从未成年人既容易受惑犯罪、又易于矫治的立场出发,从既要“惩罚”他们,更要教育、拯救他们的立场出发,建立科学的刑罚体系、取消未成年人犯罪无期徒刑的适用、扩大非监禁刑的适用比例、设立未成年人犯罪前科消灭制度。     

Financial regionalism in East Asia： The “Multilateralization” of the Chiang Mai Initiative

The 2008-2009 financial crisis prompted the ASEAN＋3 countries＇ decision to enhance the Chiang Mai Initiative （CMI） and to make it multilateral （CMIM）. The CMI network of bilateral swaps arrangements is going to be substituted by a regional reserve pooling arrangement worth US$120 billion. The aim of this work is to analyse the CMIM, putting it in the wider context of the growing role of Asia in the world economy and of the acceleration of its integration process. We will also assess the impact of the CMIM on the role of the IMF as global provider of financial assistance and as guarantor of international financial stability.     

Kids are Different: The United States Supreme Court Reforms Youth Sentencing Practices for Youth Prosecuted in the Criminal Justice System

In a series of decisions issued between 2005‐2016, the United States Supreme Court relied on emerging scientific research detailing the developmental differences between children and adults to revamp its juvenile sentencing jurisprudence under the Eighth Amendment. The research established that youth’s developmental immaturity reduces their culpability for their criminal conduct, while also demonstrating their heightened capacity for change and rehabilitation. The Court focused on the most extreme sentences for youth, banning the imposition of the death penalty on youth under the age of eighteen in Roper v. Simmons (2005), and severely limiting the availability of life without parole sentences even for youth convicted of murder, in Graham v Florida (2010) and Miller v Alabama (2012). This article traces the Court’s evolution in reviewing sentences for youth in our justice system, and considers how the Court’s reasoning in these cases may influence further reforms in the justice system’s treatment of youth looking ahead.     

联合国刑事司法准则视野下的我国少年司法程序

在《公民权利与政治权利国际公约》以及联合国其他关于少年司法的有关文件中,针对少年犯罪的司法程序有着许多方面的具体规定。以此视野关照中国的少年司法实践, 我国在少年法庭,少年犯的羁押、量型、非刑罚措施,以及少年犯案底和改造方面仍存在一定的问题。如何参照国刑事司法准则,完善我国少年司法程序,以更有效地预防少年犯罪,更地地改造失足少年,是我国批准和实施公约以健全法治所急需思考的问题。