死缓限制减刑及其适用——以最高人民法院发布的两个指导案例为切入点

死缓限制减刑是我国刑法中新增的死刑执行方式，最高人民法院发布的两个指导案例，对其适用的案件类型、适用步骤和条件进行了提示。但由于刑法规定本身存在争议，学界对死缓限制减刑的性质以及适用条件的研究不够，导致指导案例在相关事实的评价上缺乏均衡，所得出的结论也有违反禁止溯及既往原则之嫌。死缓限制减刑的适用，必须在罪刑法定原则的约束下，结合其法律性质和立法意图，依据相关死刑政策以及量刑方法进行。     

死刑案件证明标准的思考

死刑案件的证明标准是刑事诉讼活动证明标准的重要组成部分,我国死刑案件的证明标准存在诸多弊端,学界对死刑案件证明标准是否应该高于普通刑事案件、死刑案件的定罪标准与量刑标准是否应该同一的问题存在较大争议,因此有必要在厘清上述问题的基础上对死刑案件证明标准进行完善。     

人体器官移植中生命权法律保护的探讨

生命权是一切权利之根本,属于基本人权之范畴。作为挽救病人生命的重要方式,人体器官移植应恪守尊重生命权的原则。因此,对人体器官捐献、摘取和器官捐献者生命状态的判定应遵循严格程序,器官摘取和移植中的相关法律责任要明确规定。我国人体器官移植方面的法律法规,也要根据上述要求,加以完善。     

罪犯死亡与涉医纠纷处理的法制建构

转型社会与多元发展对监狱执法工作提出了新的更高的要求。社会公众对于监狱工作的关注度越来越高,考量的维度亦日趋多元。随着罪犯及其家属监督意识和维权意识的不断增强,因罪犯死亡及涉医纠纷案件的处理问题所引起的上访、上诉案件呈明显上升趋势。个中的原因虽然繁多,但其中一个重要的原因当属法律法规自身存在的诸多缺失。这种缺失不仅表现在适用条款的模糊性方面,而且还体现为具体适用中的＂二元性＂,故亟须在监狱法修订时予以完善。     

死刑案件补查补证的原因 问题及规制——以审判环节为中心审判人员提出为视角的分析

在刑事案件尤其是死刑案件的审理阶段,经常会发生补查补证情况,已日益成为影响到死刑案件审判质量的效率的问题。补查补证的产生原因是多方面的,也存在着一些问题,应当从多方面对死刑案件的补查补证进一步规制,即:制定补查补证程序;限定补查补证的执行主体;界定补查外的范围和标准;限制补查补证的次数;明确补查补证的处理;规定补查补证的责任等。     

A New Method for Determination of Postmortem Interval: Citrate Content of Bone*

Abstract: Few accurate methods exist currently to determine the time since death (postmortem interval, PMI) of skeletonized human remains found at crime scenes. Citrate is present as a constituent of living human and animal cortical bone at very uniform initial concentration (2.0 ± 0.1 wt %). In skeletal remains found in open landscape settings (whether buried or not), the concentration of citrate remains constant for a period of about 4 weeks, after which it decreases linearly as a function of log(time). The upper limit of the dating range is about 100 years. The precision of determination decreases slightly with age. The rate of decrease appears to be independent of temperature or rainfall but drops to zero for storage temperature <0°C.     

自首并非免死:关于自首在中国当下死刑适用语境中的反思——以药家鑫案、李昌奎案为探究视角

民众认为不杀犯罪人药家鑫、李昌奎不足以平民愤,许多刑法学者和法官则认为两人都有自首情节,根据自首可以从宽原则和宽严相济刑事政策精神应予以免死,但两被告人的最终命运都是死刑立即执行。深究之,这源于自首可以从宽是"可以"而并非"应当",宽严相济刑事政策并非唯"宽"马首是瞻而需"宽严并济","少杀、慎杀"严格限制死刑适用的刑事政策背后的逻辑并非"不杀"。综合考量两人实施犯罪的手段残忍、性质恶劣、主观恶性极大、动机卑劣、社会危害极其严重,因而虽有自首情节还不足以免死。     

Commotio Cordis – A Report of Two Similar Cases

Commotio cordis is a rare and fatal mechano‐electric arrhythmogenic syndrome, occurring mainly during sports activities. The present study describes two similar cases of sudden death caused by commotio cordis associated with homicide. The two decedents were both 15‐year‐old male teenagers. Both collapsed within several minutes after being punched in the precordial region, as observed by witnesses at the scenes. Although electrocardiograms were not recorded at the scenes or the hospitals, the sudden onset of cardiovascular, respiratory, and neural symptoms were consistent with sudden cardiac death caused by commotio cordis. Autopsy and forensic morphology both revealed no cardiac or pericardiac structural damage, evident lesions of other internal organs, or underlying diseases, along with negative toxicological analysis, conforming to criteria for diagnosis of commotio cordis. The diagnosis of commotio cordis by forensic pathologists is important in deliberating a verdict of homicide, especially involuntary homicide. In rare instances, a death caused by commotio cordis may have a homicide manner of death.     

Media Coverage of Capital Murder: Exceptions Sustain the Rule

Scholars have demonstrated that prominent media coverage of crime shapes the creation of public policies. More subtly, such coverage can also sustain existing policies. In this paper, we ask: which capital crimes captivate the media and thus sustain popular support for the death penalty? To answer the question, we examine newspaper coverage of capital murders that occurred in Harris County (Houston), Texas between 1992 and 1999. Our findings reveal that prominent media coverage presents a distorted reality in which brutal crimes tend to be committed by minority offenders against vulnerable, “worthy” victims. Thus, the public mandate for capital punishment is sustained by atypical crimes that conform to existing cultural templates about criminal threat and victimization.     

死刑诸思——以唐代死刑为素材的探讨

唐律的死刑条文约占全部分则定罪条文的四分之一,适用范围与现代刑法差距并不大。统治者对自己统治地位的合法性、正当性高度自信,被统治者对陷自己于灾难的残酷刑罚深切痛恨,整个社会在经历大的社会动乱之后建立起了对犯罪的较高容忍度,这些均是刑罚得以轻缓与死刑得以减少的重要因素。自《贞观律》之后,唐代关于死刑的立法基本停滞,但唐代死刑的实际状况却并不如立法那样确定。在通过立法减少或废除死刑难有大作为的情况下,应当在法律规定的范围内通过司法来减少死刑。唐代虽有废除死刑的诏令,但实际司法中的＂杖杀＂则使其成为空文。