A Reductionist Penal Policy and European Human Rights Standards

Official discourse in many European countries advocates the use of imprisonment as a measure of last resort. This principle is also at the core of several Recommendations of the Council of Europe and a Resolution of the European Parliament. In practice, detention rates in European countries vary greatly, and many countries have witnessed an increase in their prison population. This article argues that the application of deprivation of liberty raises in itself a human rights issue, and considers the support that European human rights instruments give to a reductionist penal policy. It concludes by defending a normative argument in favour of rethinking the principle of proportionality in its application to imprisonment.     

证人出庭作证问题研究

证人出庭作证是保证司法公正的基本措施。针对我国司法实践中普通存在的证人拒绝出庭作证的现象 ,有必要从转变司法观念 ,建立强制证人出庭作证制度 ,完善证人保护制度 ,贯彻直接言词原则 ,建立证人特权制度等方面 ,有效解决证人出庭作证的问题。     

MEDIATING JUDICIAL POLICY

Despite the widespread use of mediation to resolve public policy disputes, there is little written on the mediation of judicial rule disputes. A successful mediation of a dispute over proposed court rules to govern mediation of certain family law cases involving domestic violence concerns is reviewed. The authors conclude that the mediation provided (a) a confidential venue for disputing judges to respectfully disagree with one another, (b) an opportunity for collaborative problem solving, (c) an opportunity to reduce conflict among judicial colleagues. (d) a format for dialogue with other stakeholders, and (e) greater degree of influence with regard to the outcome of the dispute. Specific recommendations to encourage the effective use of judicial policy mediation are offered.     

十八届四中全会司法改革新举措之解读

党的十八届四中全会《决定》明确了一系列司法改革新举措,对司法体制改革作出新的重大部署。最高人民法院设立巡回法庭,探索设立跨行政区划的人民法院和人民检察院,建立领导干部干预司法活动、插手具体案件处理的记录、通报和责任追究制度,从制度和体制上防范和禁止地方行政权力干涉,保障审判权、检察权依法独立行使;推进以审判为中心的诉讼制度改革,实行审判权和执行权相分离体制,探索建立检察机关提起公益诉讼制度,实行立案登记制,从司法权运行机制和职能定位上强化司法权威,促进公正司法,保障国家和公民权益。     

Moral wrongfulness and insanity: a New Zealand sample

Introduction: This study sought to identify the common characteristics amongst defendants found legally insane, compared to those who were psychiatrically evaluated yet convicted of their crime. Method: A retrospective review of court-ordered psychiatric court reports and legal outcomes was conducted, for all defendants referred for insanity evaluations in the largest city in New Zealand (and its surrounding rural regions) for a 7-year period. Results: The majority (60%; 37) of those referred for evaluation were found legally insane. The opinion regarding moral wrongfulness was the single factor that differentiated successful insanity defendants from those who were found guilty. Conclusions: Despite the centrality of the insanity defence to forensic psychiatry, few studies internationally consider characteristics of those found insane, particularly in comparison with those who are found guilty. Psychiatrically evaluated defendants in this sample were relatively homogenous, perhaps due to the court liaison nurse screening process.     

第三人同意的无证搜查：美国联邦最高法院伦道夫案评析

美国的刑事诉讼无时无刻不体现着"控辩双方平等武装、平等对抗,法院居中裁断"的精神.犯罪嫌疑人与他人分事住宅的事实意味着该特定空间内的所有权益均可由任意一方处分;第三人同意警方搜查有罪证据是犯罪嫌疑人必须承担的风险.犯罪嫌疑人的反对不具有实质意义,共同权利人的同意足以满足宪法的标准;与他人共享住宅的事实限定了犯罪嫌疑人主张个人隐私的实际范围.     

庭审证据调查研究

两大法系的审判模式决定了其各自庭审证据调查制度的特色,而传统中国刑事诉讼一直以大陆法系职权主义为模板,因此在保留大陆法系职权主义庭审证据调查制度的基础上适当借鉴英美法系庭审证据调查制度的合理因素,是中国刑事诉讼庭审证据调查制度改革路径的必然选择。具体的改革思路是(:一)贯彻“以听证为主、调查为辅”的原则(;二)在启动机制方面:规定以当事人申请为原则、以职权为例外(;三)对职权调查的限制措施包括:调查的范围、调查的程度以及调查的方式和结果的认证。     

欧洲法院预审裁决制度初探

预审裁决制度是<欧洲共同体条约>当中最引人注目,最重要的规定之一.在特定的案件中,成员国法院在作出判决之前,必须将某些欧共体法律问题交给欧洲法院作出预审裁决.它的最主要的目的是保证欧洲法院对欧共体法律拥有做出最明确解释的司法权,以保证欧共体法律解释的统一,同时消除成员国法院之间对欧共体法律在理解上的分歧.     

警察出庭作证的法理分析

警察出庭作证是诉讼理论和司法实践的需要,在国外也十分普遍但在国内却一直将警察排除在证人之外。虽然两高的解释现在对此有所规定但内容与范围十分片面。我国应建立警察出庭作证制度。