浅析我国检察机关不起诉裁量权

不起诉裁量权是法律赋予检察机关对于刑事公诉案件起诉与否的裁量权。由于权力有限,种类单一,被害人对不起诉享有自诉权,实践中缺乏可操作的标准,限制条件苛刻,严重制约了检察机关起诉裁量权机能的有效发挥,不利于诉讼效率和诉讼经济,必须予以制度上的完善。     

刑事执行制度之检讨与改造

我国现行的刑事执行制度在体制和程序两个层面上,都存在一定的弊端,极大地影响到刑罚执行的客观效果。当前《刑事诉讼法》修改在即,刑事执行制度的重构成为当务之急。为此,建议确立检察指挥执行的集中型执行体制,同时在程序上废除暂予监外执行制度、设立自由刑暂停执行制度,实现减刑、假释程序的正当化。     

论警察法上的比例原则

比例原则是控制警察执法中裁量权行使的基本原则,它使警察执法从形式法治走向了实质法治.比例原则的基本含义学界基本认识一致,比例原则在我国警察法上经历了三个发展阶段.在警察立法、执法、行政复议和行政诉讼等警察法律实施的各个环节对比例原则加以运用,将对我国警察法律制度的完善和警察裁量权的规范行使大有裨益.     

假释的基本趋向：从国家恩惠到罪犯权利

假释的性质历来众说纷纭。从应然的角度,对假释的认识应从“国家对罪犯施舍的恩惠”逐渐演变成“罪犯的权利”。假释可以分为任意假释和强制假释两种,其适用比率在行刑中可以提升,适用对象也应扩大到被判死缓、无期徒刑和有期徒刑的犯罪分子。但是,对于被判死缓和无期徒刑的犯罪分子,应明确只有被减刑为有期徒刑时,才取得假释请求权,这应作为任意假释的前置条件。罪犯符合法定条件时,应当被强制假释。假释的考验期应重新规制,以适应行刑实践。     

THE ROLE OF RACE AND ETHNICITY IN PAROLE DECISIONS*

The parole board plays an integral part in the reentry of offenders into the community from prison in most states; yet, little is known about the decision‐making practices of this group. In particular, few studies have used quantitative data to examine parole among a large group of offenders, and less is known about the direct and joint effects of race and ethnicity on this decision point. We extend previous work by considering variation in parole timing among a sample of young, serious offenders incarcerated in one state. Results from a series of proportional hazard models reveal substantial variation in parole timing. Consistent with the existing theoretical research on parole, parole actors are most concerned with community protection and heavily weigh measures of the current offense, institutional behavior, and the official parole guidelines score. The direct effects of race and ethnicity were also revealed. Black offenders spent a longer time in prison awaiting parole compared with white offenders, and the racial and ethnic differences are maintained net of legal and individual demographic and community characteristics. These findings provide important insight into the parole process and augment the existing theoretical work on disparities in decision making.     

艾滋病患者保外就医问题探讨——对"重庆艾滋女保外就医卖淫事件"的反思

当前,伴随着艾滋病病毒感染者和病人数量的上升,艾滋病患者违法犯罪逐渐成为社会广泛关注的问题。实践中对艾滋病罪犯和艾滋病吸毒人员进行保外就医的做法影响社会公众的安全感,严重威胁社会秩序稳定。艾滋病患者原则上不应适用保外就医;对于违法犯罪的艾滋病患者,应建立专门监管场所进行集中关押和治疗。在现有条件下,对保外就医的艾滋病患者,应形成监所监狱、检察机关、公安机关、基层组织各负其责、齐抓共管的监管体系。     

Stereotypes influence beliefs about transfer and sentencing of juvenile offenders

Despite sharp drops in juvenile crime since the mid-1980s, punitive policies regarding juveniles who commit serious offenses still exist. We assessed beliefs about two such practices: transferring offenders from the juvenile justice to the criminal justice system, and subjecting them to sentences of life without parole (LWOP). We examined whether stereotypes about juvenile offenders – the extent to which people believe they are dispositionally violent superpredators versus economically and socially impoverished wayward youth – influence support for these policies. We measured 321 participants’ beliefs about the causes of juvenile crime and juveniles’ potential for recidivism and rehabilitation. Using vignette methodology and actual case facts, we described a 13-, 17-, or 21-year-old offender who murdered a stranger or abusive parent, and asked whether he should be transferred to criminal court and sentenced to LWOP. As endorsement of the superpredator stereotype increased, so did support for these practices. Offenders who murdered an abusive parent were shown more leniency. Older offenders were generally treated harsher, except by people with strong superpredator stereotypes who, on the issue of LWOP appropriateness, did not distinguish among juveniles of different ages. Findings suggest that stereotypes can influence judgments in cases involving juveniles and indirectly affect policy-making about juvenile offending.     

Problems and service needs among ex-offenders with HIV risk behaviors entering sober living recovery homes

There is currently a nationwide effort to decrease the number of persons who are incarcerated in jails and prisons. However, many ex-offenders on probation or parole do not have access to affordable housing and larger proportions have histories of HIV risk as well as substance abuse problems. In California, sober living houses (SLHs) are becoming an increasingly popular housing option for these individuals. Based largely on the principles of alcoholics anonymous, SLHs require abstinence from alcohol and drugs and provide peer support for recovery. The current study examined the types of problems experienced among 330 ex-offenders with lifetime risk for HIV during the six months prior to entering SLHs. Nearly three fourths (74%) of all ex-offenders entering the houses had at least one HIV risk. The importance of housing was evident in the finding that housing status and participants’ perceptions of their housing situation were associated with a variety of problem areas, including substance use, HIV risk, psychiatric severity, and legal problems. SLHs represent an important housing option for ex-offenders, but many residents may need additional services to address various problems.     

DISRUPTING THE PATHWAY FROM FOSTER CARE TO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM—A FORMER PROSECUTOR'S PERSPECTIVES ON REFORM

Nearly half a million children are victims of abuse and neglect and part of our foster care system. Over time, many of these youth cross into our juvenile and then adult justice systems; some will end up as federal offenders, immersed in a process where mandated penalties provide little room for flexibility or consideration of the characteristics and needs of the individual. This article will offer the perspectives of a former prosecutor and child welfare advocate on: (i) the current conditions and challenges within our foster care system—the feeder for many youth into gangs and criminal activity; (ii) the misaligned priorities and disheartening patterns we currently see in our justice system; and (iii) the ill‐advised practices, that set our nation apart from the rest of the world, allowing juvenile offenders to receive life without parole sentences. The article will then discuss a series of recommendations in all of these areas that would enable us to turn the corner and chart an improved and more hopeful path for our nation's vulnerable and at‐risk children and youth.     

Examining Predictors of Parole Release in a Rural Female Jail Population

Parole has long been a linchpin of correctional practices but few studies have examined discretionary parole release in a female population. The current study examines factors, both static risk and dynamic needs, that influence parole decision making in a rural female jail population. The researchers collected data on parole releases from a rural county jail over a 3-year period beginning in 2012 (N?=?138). Offenders obtained a recommendation for parole release from a reentry assessment team that met at the jail each month to evaluate cases for parole eligibility. Logistic regression was used to explain variance in the factors considered by the reentry assessment team and it was evident that both static risk factors and dynamic needs play a role in discretionary parole release. We also examined obstacles or challenges that female offenders face when paroling to a rural location. Several policy recommendation related to the study are addressed.