The Significant Development of the Exclusionary Rule of Illegal Evidence in China: from the Perspective of the Promulgation of “The Rule of Strict Exclusion of Illegal Evidence”

The function and value of exclusionary rule of illegal evidence lie not only in the prevention of mistrial, but also in the manifestation of procedural justice, the regulation of judicial conduct and the emphasis on the protection of human rights. The promulgation of “the rule of strict exclusion of illegal evidence” has made a positive response to the practical problems during the implementation of exclusionary rule of illegal evidence. Many provisions in this rule are much more strict than before, such as further defining the scope of illegal oral evidence, clarifying the method of excluding the repeated confessions, emphasizing the timeliness of exclusion of illegal evidence and the synchronization of supervision of investigation, attaching the importance of collection and application of process evidence, and exerting the review of the legitimacy of evidence in pre-trial conference. After the promulgation of “the rule of strict exclusion of illegal evidence”, we should continue to focus on the implementation of exclusionary rule of illegal evidence, ensuring its function of post-punishment and illegal prevention.     

甲基苯丙胺心肌毒性的研究进展

甲基苯丙胺(MA)是近年来在我国公共场所流行滥用的成瘾性药物,俗称"冰毒"。目前实验研究发现,MA对人体多个系统都具有毒性作用,其中对心血管系统的毒性损害作用较为显著。临床表现上,MA中毒主要导致了以心率和血压改变为特异性表现的一系列症状,以及继发的心脏结构改变所导致的心脏损害;病理学上,MA中毒导致了心肌坏死、心肌间质炎细胞增多、心肌纤维化、心肌梗死等。法医学研究中,发现了MA急性中毒导致死亡的主要原因是MA引起的心律失常和室颤,慢性中毒的死因较多,以MA慢性中毒导致高血压、心肌病、心肌梗死等为主。MA中毒的心肌毒性的分子机制表现为心肌内多种蛋白质表达的改变。目前MA心肌毒性的机制研究较多,但仍未完全查明。本文通过对近年来MA心肌毒性研究现状进行综述,为后续研究提供参考。     

142例二轮摩托车驾乘人员损伤特征分析

目的分析二轮摩托车交通事故的现场特点和驾乘人员的损伤特征,为甄别摩托车驾乘人员提供信息。方法收集本区2005年至2014年142例二轮摩托车交通事故人员伤亡资料,包括事故经过、事故类型、现场特点、车辆特点、驾乘人员情况、损伤情况及死亡原因等相关资料,进行分析总结。结果二轮摩托车驾乘人员在各类型事故中的损伤部位和特征、出现率及严重程度有明显的区别,事故现场有规律性。结论通过现场与人体损伤特征的分析,可以甄别摩托车驾乘人员。     

椎弓崩裂与外伤伤病关系法医学鉴定26例分析

目的阐述椎弓崩裂与外伤之间伤病关系的法医学鉴定要点。方法收集26例椎弓崩裂案例,从年龄、伴随症状、治疗方式、致伤方式等方面讨论此类病例的特点。结果认定外伤与损伤后果之间存在一定因果关系的2例被鉴定人年龄均在50岁以下,致伤方式均为高能量损伤,且均伴有合并伤,2例患者均接受了手术治疗。结论应关注50岁以下中青年外伤后椎弓崩裂与外伤之间的伤病关系分析。对于选择手术治疗者,更需分析两者之间的伤病关系。     

利用尸食性蚤蝇推断死亡时间的法医学研究进展

死亡时间的准确推断一直是法医学的难题。昆虫学方法已被认为是死亡时间推断的有效方法。尸食性蝇类发育生物学在死亡时间推断中有着重要地位。蚤蝇体形微小,在相对密闭的空间,可成为尸体上主要的甚至是唯一的昆虫证据。本文从尸食性蚤蝇的作用、种属鉴定以及日龄推断方面,综述了利用尸食性蚤蝇推断死亡时间的法医学研究进展。     

死后眼组织变化与死亡时间推断

眼组织推断死亡时间一直是国内外法医学界的研究热点之一,从肉眼观到镜下观,从细胞水平到分子水平,不断有新的研究成果和报告出现。大量研究资料表明,随着死亡时间的延长,眼角膜、视网膜、玻璃体液及房水等均出现规律性的变化,并与死亡时间高度相关,可用于死亡时间推断。本文对其在法医学领域的研究进展作以综述。     

略论《刑事诉讼法》修改之后鉴定制度的完善——根据司法鉴定的价值和特点进行的分析

我国《刑事诉讼法》修改之后,为促进和保障刑事司法公正,与司法鉴定相关的制度、程序需要进一步完善.应当基于司法鉴定作为证据的基本特点,着眼于保障当事人的权利和规制职权机关的权力,从诉讼程序、证据制度以及管理制度等各个方面,推动我国相关程序、制度的完善.     

Portable high‐resolution automated 3D imaging for footwear and tire impression capture

The forensic science community raised the need for improved evidence recognition, collection, and visualization analytical instrumentation for field and laboratory use. While the 3D optical techniques for imaging static objects have been extensively studied, there is still a major gap between current knowledge and collecting high‐quality footwear and tire impression evidence. Among optical means for 3D imaging, digital fringe projection (DFP) techniques reconstruct 3D shape from phase information, achieving camera‐pixel spatial resolution. This paper presents a high‐resolution 3D imaging technology using DFP techniques dedicated to footwear and tire impression capture. We developed fully automated software algorithms and a graphical user interface (GUI) that allow anyone without training to operate for high‐quality 3D data capture. We performed accuracy evaluations and comparisons comparing with the commercial high‐end 3D scanner and carried out qualitative tests for various impressions comparing with the current practices. Overall, our technology achieves similar levels of accuracy and resolution with a high‐end commercially available 3D scanner, while having the merits of being (1) more affordable; (2) much easier to operate; and (3) more robust. Compared with the current practice of casting, our technology demonstrates its superiority because it (1) is non‐destructive; (2) collects more evidence detail than casts, especially when an impression is fragile; (3) requires less time and money to collect each piece of evidence; and (4) results in a digital file that can easily be shared with other examiners.     

Estimating Individual Contributions to Complex DNA SNP Mixtures.,

High‐throughput sequencing (HTS) of large panels of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) provides an alternative or complimentary approach to short tandem repeats (STRs) panels for the analysis of complex DNA mixture forensic samples. For STRs, methods to estimate individual contribution concentrations compare capillary electrophoresis peak heights, peak areas, or HTS allele read counts within a mixture. This article introduces three approaches (mean, median, and slope methods) for estimating individual DNA contributions to forensic mixtures for HTS/massively parallel sequencing (MPS) SNP panels. For SNPs, the major:minor allele ratios or counts, unique to each contributor, were compared to estimate contributor proportion within the mixture using the mean, median, and slope intercept for these alleles. The estimates for these three methods were typically within 5% of planned experimental contributions for defined mixtures.     

The CSI Effect and the impact of DNA evidence on mock jurors and jury deliberations

ABSTRACT

The present research examined the CSI Effect and the impact of DNA evidence on mock jurors and jury deliberations using a 3 (Crime Drama Viewing: low, moderate, high)?×?3 (Evidence: DNA innocent, DNA guilty, no DNA control) design. A sample of 178 jury-eligible college students read a case of breaking and entering. Pre-deliberation, some support for a CSI Effect was found with high viewers’ extent of guilt ratings significantly lower than moderate and low viewers’ in the no DNA control and the DNA innocent conditions. This effect was not present for verdicts. Contrary to a CSI Effect, crime drama viewing was not related to guilt judgments with incriminating DNA evidence. A content analysis of comments made during deliberations found little support for the CSI Effect entering the jury room. Specifically, CSI Effect predictions were not supported when examining the discussion of DNA evidence, expressing DNA opinions, or mentioning missing evidence. Overall, the limited CSI Effect found for individuals was attenuated during deliberation. The alarm raised over a possible CSI Effect influencing jury decision making may be unwarranted.