收回死刑复核权面临的难题及其破解

It is of great significance for the Supreme Court of China (SCC) to take back the power of having judicial review for death sentences. For that purpose, first, we have to amend the procedures for judicial review for death sentences, including precisely defining the responsibility of the SCC to review death sentences, determining appropriate modes of review, prescribing the time limit of review, allowing the participation of defense lawyers and prosecutors, etc. Second, we must also amend the appellate procedures for capital cases, including holding hearings, comprehensive trial of key cases, and adjusting the time limit for the second instance. Third, we must improve relative systems that can directly affect the trial quality of capital cases, including the improvement of evidentiary rules, the reform of judicial committees, and the forbiddance to change an original sentence into a death sentence. Long Zongzhi, professor, chairs the academic commission at Southwestern University of Politics and Law. Meanwhile, he takes the vice chair of the supervising committee of legal education in the Ministry of Education of China. He advanced the theory of dual structure of criminal litigation in early 1990s and put forward the theory of relative reasonableness in late 1990s, which exerted great influence in academic law. Moreover, he has published a great number of works on criminal litigation, judicial system, and evidence law.     

近亲属请求死亡赔偿的法理基础

死亡抚恤金是国家或有关单位按相关法规规定给予死者近亲属和被扶养人一定金额的慰问金及生活补助费,抚恤金代替不了死亡赔偿。死者已无从取得主张赔偿的权利,但法律不能无视利益受到损害的近亲属。基于身份关系的重要性,从亲属法的角度进行分析,应当以近亲属身份权被侵害作为近亲属索赔的理论依据,近亲属不仅可以向直接致害人提起死亡赔偿,也可以要求学校和政府承担起相应的责任,这样才能使近亲属被侵害的身份利益得到真正的救济。     

死刑的适用原则与存废之争

死刑是以剥夺犯罪人生命为内容的最为严厉的刑罚，应遵循公正、功利与人道三大原则。死刑是起源最早的刑种，在几千年人类刑罚史上一直占据着刑罚体系的主导地位。死刑制度走向历来是一个极为敏感的问题。因此，如何评价死刑，保留或是废除，限制或是扩张，不仅是一个法律问题，也是一个非常重要的社会、政治问题。我国作为保留死刑的国家，限制与减少死刑已受到立法和司法的高度重视。     

Blind validation of postmortem interval estimates using developmental rates of blow flies

This study evaluated the use of different degree day (DD) models, developmental thresholds and developmental data sources for estimating postmortem interval (PMI) based on developmental rates of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Blow fly evidence was collected from three mock crime scenes and sent for blind analysis of PMI. PMI estimates were calculated using averaging, single sine, double sine, single triangle, and double triangle models of DD calculation with minimum developmental thresholds of 0, 6 and 10 °C and Anderson's, Byrd and Allen's, Greenberg's, Nishida's and Kamal's developmental data sets. These estimates were compared with the actual PMI to determine which combination of DD model, developmental threshold and developmental data provided the most accurate estimate. For all three cases, at least one method gave a PMI estimation that was within 1 day of the actual date of death. There was no variability between PMI estimated using the five models of DD calculation. Overall, as lower developmental threshold increased, the PMI interval estimates increased. Depending on the developmental data set used, increasing the lower developmental threshold caused some overestimations of the date of oviposition, with estimates given that were prior to the actual death. Future PMI estimates should include error ranges, so that overestimation of PMI is avoided.     

关于死刑案件证明标准的思考

我国死刑案件证明标准目前采用和普通刑事案件相同的证明标准,这不利于被告人的生命和自由的保障。应在定罪程序和量刑程序实现分离的基础上,对量刑阶段的证明标准加以提高。同时应分清留有余地判处死缓案件与疑案的情况,并采取不同的处理方式,证明标准的适用需要死刑程序加以保障。     

论刑事司法对死刑适用的影响

死刑的限制与全面废除并不完全取决于民意的走向,也不是哪位政治家一夜的梦想就能够实现的。死刑作为一种既古老而又严厉的刑罚已经在不同的社会、不同的时期因为其特殊的功能而形成一种深深的历史印迹,洗刷这种印迹同样需要一个漫长、艰难的过程,需要一个司法检验立法的过程,以及立法自身完善的过程。     

中日死刑比较研究概说

中国与日本都是保留死刑的国家,就基本的死刑政策来说,也有相同的一面,即严格限制死刑的适用,但由于两国不同的法律传统和社会现实,又在死刑的立法内容、适用状况、死刑的评价等问题上,表现出一定的区别。对比邻的国家之死刑状况的考察,对于我国具有参考意义。     

废除死刑之门——未成年人不判死刑原则及其在中国的确立与延伸

禁止对未成年人判处死刑是联合国《儿童权利公约》、《少年司法最低限度标准规则》、《公民权利与政治权利国际公约》等所确立的一项基本原则。自20世纪初以来,中国即开始了确立这一原则的努力,但直到1997年刑法典才实现了与这一原则的"无缝衔接"。考察未成年人不判死刑原则在中国确立的历程,至少有三点启示:第一,尽管艰难,但彻底废除死刑在中国仍具有实现的可能性;第二,从犯罪主体(强调其社会弱势群体特征)的角度废除死刑要比从罪行性质的角度入手,更具可行性,也更为平等和较少带来负面影响;第三,青年,尤其是年轻青年与未成年人有着诸多类似之处,可以而且应当首先将未成年人不判死刑规则延伸于这一群体,这也是避免误判不满18岁未成年人死刑的需要。     

间接故意罪过形态下伤害致人死亡的刑法分析

从应然角度，存在间接故意罪过形态下伤害致人死亡的情形，但是从实然的定罪角度考察分析，这种情形不应以故意（间接）伤害（致人死亡）罪认定，此种认定方法将间接故意伤害中间形态的伤害结果与最终的死亡结果一起进行重复评价，违背间接故意犯罪的定罪机理。从法条竞合原理的实质出发，对于此种情形以过失致人死亡罪认定符合罪刑法定原则，并且不会导致重复评价的出现。     

致心律不齐性右室心肌病的研究进展

致心律不齐性右室心肌病是以右室心肌被纤维脂肪取代为特征的一种原因不明的心肌病,通常表现为局限性右室病变。亦可弥漫性进展,侵犯左室,最终导致左心功能不全。近年来,致心律不齐性右室心肌病导致心源性猝死已越来越引起人们的注意。在法医实际工作中,相关研究报道较少。本文综述了致心律不齐性右室心肌病的发病病因、发病机理、病理变化、临床特点和鉴别诊断等方面的研究进展。