Taking the bait: interrogation questions about hypothetical evidence may inflate perceptions of guilt

ABSTRACT

During suspect interviews, police will sometimes ask about hypothetical incriminating evidence to evoke a cue to deception – a technique known as a bait question. Previous research has demonstrated such questions can distort peoples’ memory for what evidence exists in a case. Here, we investigate whether such memory distortion can also cause people to see the suspect as more likely to be guilty. Across three experiments, we find exposure to bait questions led to participants hold inflated views of a suspect’s guilt. Further, we demonstrate bait questions cause reliable, robust memory distortion, leading participants to believe non-existent, incriminating evidence exists. However, we found no evidence to support the speculated mechanisms for this inflation – namely, (1) that source monitoring errors could lead people to misremember false evidence as real evidence and (2) that bait questions provide ‘key evidence’ to fill in the gaps of an incomplete theory of a case. In sum, bait questions have the problematic potential to shift jurors towards guilty verdicts. We suggest future research directions on bait questions, including the need for different designs to clarify why bait questions inflate guilt, and recommend practitioners avoid the use of bait questions.     

完善海南国际旅游"免签证"制度的思考

海南国际旅游岛建设,需要拓宽和简化外国人入境旅游手续,实行免签证制度是海南国际旅游岛建设的必然要求。海南免签证制度有利于推动和促进海南国际旅游业发展,完善海南旅游免签证制度,有必要通过经济特区立法权,制定有关免签证制度的法规,规范和完善海南国际旅游岛免签证制度。     

Human height estimation from highly distorted surveillance image

Video surveillance camera (VSC) is an important source of information during investigations especially if used as a tool for the extraction of verified and reliable forensic measurements. In this study, some aspects of human height extraction from VSC video frames are analyzed with the aim of identifying and mitigating error sources that can strongly affect the measurement. More specifically, those introduced by lens distortion are present in wide-field-of-view lens such as VSCs. A weak model, which is not able to properly describe and correct the lens distortion, could introduce systematic errors. This study focuses on the aspect of camera calibration to verify human height extraction by Amped FIVE software, which is adopted by the Forensic science laboratories of Carabinieri Force (RaCIS), Italy. A stable and reliable approach of camera calibration is needed since investigators have to deal with different cameras while inspecting the crime scene. The performance of the software in correcting distorted images is compared with a technique of single view self-calibration. Both approaches were applied to several frames acquired by a fish-eye camera and then measuring the height of five different people. Moreover, two actual cases, both characterized by common low-resolution and distorted images, were also analyzed. The height of four known persons was measured and used as reference value for validation. Results show no significant difference between the two calibration approaches working with fish-eye camera in test field, while evidence of differences was found in the measurement on the actual cases.     

特留份制度之伦理价值分析

特留份制度的设置建基于法定继承人的亲属身份关系,其目的在于维护亲属身份的伦理价值,保护一定范围近亲属的继承期待权,从而维护家庭的稳定,实现家庭养老育幼的职能。我国现行继承法规定的必继份制度的内容过于原则且缺乏可操作性,没有充分体现继承法所应蕴涵的伦理价值,应当改必继份制度为特留份制度。修订与亲属身份密切相关的继承法,既要遵循财产法的规则,保护公民个人财产的所有权,保护其处分财产的自由权,也要考虑亲属身份的特殊属性,考虑人情、伦理以及传统习俗。     

民事证据随时提出、同时提出抑或适时提出——兼评《中华人民共和国民事诉讼法修正案(草案)》第65条

在法定顺序主义下,主张已经固定,有完善系统的审前程序,实行证据同时提出主义和逾期失权制度则有其合理基础。在自由顺序主义中,无审前程序固定主张和争点,则只能实行证据随时提出主义,但证据随时提出主义无法集中审理和诉讼拖延的弊端决定着其让位于增设审前程序后的证据适时提出主义。不像美国的证据开示制度,我国民事诉讼法不能随意证据失权,只能实行相对温和的证据适时提出主义,但也需相应完善审前程序。     

Intra-EU Labor Mobility: A Key Pillar of the EU Architecture Subject to Challenge

Intra-EU labor mobility is often characterized as a major contributor to better functioning European labor markets. Does the evidence of recent cross-border labor mobility support this positive expectation? Does the EU live up to its potential of being a role model by showing that managing free movement of labor in turbulent times is possible? We will show that, in spite of its potential, the challenges facing free movement of labour are tremendous. We address four important aspects: enlargement; transitional measures and their consequences; the crisis and its effects; and the potential offered by free movement for better labor allocation.     

日本《裁判员法》第73条介评

日本新的裁判员法具有重大意义,旨在便捷国民参与司法并提高对于司法的信任,但裁判员法的相关规定却侵犯了国民所享有的言论自由,同时也有违该制度变革的初衷,需要进行重新检讨与制度重构。     

法院判决公司解散--司法裁判权与公司自治的冲突与协调

2005年10月27日全国人大常委会通过《公司法》修订案,其中第183条明确规定了法院判决公司解散问题,虽然国外公司立法也有关于法院判决公司解散的规定,但是,在具体适用时已经发生了一些变化。我国第一次以法律形式规定法院判决公司解散,在理解与适用这一规定时,有很多问题需要进一步研究。法院判决公司解散与公司自治必然产生矛盾,如果法院应少数股东的要求解散公司,多数股东的意志与利益也同样需要法律面对和考虑。如果公司在解散问题上的决议(该解散而不解散)对少数股东构成了不公平损害,法院是否只能通过强制公司解散来解决这一问题,需要慎重考虑。     

欧盟所得税协调与税收非歧视待遇的发展

为了保障共同市场中服务、人员和资本等要素的自由流动,欧盟禁止成员国所得税法采取基于国籍的歧视措施,也禁止成员国税法限制本国国民在共同市场内行使自由流动的权利。欧盟的实践拓展了双边税收协定中的非歧视待遇,是所得税区域性协调的尝试。但是,欧盟现行机制制约了税收非歧视待遇的进一步发展。