目的论角度下的庭前会议关键性问题探析

庭前会议制度是我国新《刑事诉讼法》设置的新制度之一,其中一些有关实施的关键性问题仍未明确,会影响实践效果。从庭前会议的目的出发探讨这些问题,可以明确立法者设置制度时预期达到的状态,从而有效提高诉讼效率,节省司法资源,由此目的分析,进而得出有效的解决方法,为完善庭前会议制度作出贡献。     

论被告人庭前供述的证据能力

被告人翻供是我国刑事司法实践的一大难题,由于被告人庭前供述缺乏证据能力规则的约束,法官普遍以被告人庭前供述定案,这是导致我国冤假错案的一项重要原因。为此,有必要建立完善的被告人庭前供述的证据能力规则。国外在被告人庭前供述准入制度的设置上,存在传闻例外模式与直接言词模式;在庭前供述排除制度的设置上,存在正当程序模式与任意性模式。我国宜借鉴直接言词模式与任意性模式,在庭前供述与当庭供述一致时,庭前供述不具备证据能力;在庭前供述与当庭供述不一致时,庭前供述如果具备自愿性要件可以作为弹劾证据,只有同时具备自愿性与真实性要件时才可作为实质证据。     

我国刑事庭前会议制度的反思与重构

庭前会议制度是2012年刑事诉讼法修改中新增加的一项重要制度,它对于提高庭审效率,保障庭审顺利进行,维护被告人的程序性合法权益具有十分重要的作用。但由于立法对庭前会议的相关内容规定过于简单和原则,其在司法实践适用中面临诸多争议,也产生了一些不利影响。因此,有必要对庭前会议的一些内容进行深入反思,以找出其有效适用的司法路径。     

审前准备程序的建立与完善

比较西方各国的审前准备程序立法,我国的审前准备程序存在准备活动以法官为主体、准备内容上没有交换证据、归纳争点等实质性内容。为此,应从三个步骤构建我国的审前准备程序:起诉和答辩;审前证据交换和审前会议;另外还需建立举证时限制度和准备法官负责制度。     

Predicting pretrial misconduct with drug tests of arrestees: Evidence from eight settings

Identifying defendants at high risk of pretrial misconduct is a major problem for the judiciary. Currently, some have argued that testing arrestees for recent drug use is one way to distinguish between those who will and those who will not commit pretrial misconduct. The research reported here questions whether the incremental predictive power resulting from drug testing always improves predictions of pretrial misconduct. Using survival analysis to study time until rearrest and a probit model to analyze the occurrence of a failure to appear, we show that urine test results have no consistent power to predict pretrial misconduct after accounting for defendant's criminal records, community ties, and other factors commonly known by the court. These results are based on our analysis of eight data sets from different locales, time periods, and age groups.     

‘The conflict is ours’: community involvement in restorative justice

Restorative justice (RJ) has attracted extended research relating to its potential to reduce crime, achieve fairness, and promote victims’ well-being, but there is only limited discussion about the involvement of the community in RJ processes. This study employs grounded theory approach to analyze 26 documented files handled by a RJ program in Jerusalem, Israel. It proposes a multilayered construction of community involvement in RJ referring to four modes of community involvement: facilitators, community representatives, social networks, and the direct stakeholders. The analysis uncovers the unique characteristics of each entity, their potential contribution in promoting community interests, and the challenges in fulfilling their potential contribution. The Article further offers a responsive definition for community representation. Practical implications for RJ programs are discussed.     

释放还是羁押——扩大适用取保候审的困难与选择

保释是目前世界范围内占主导地位的羁押替代措施。在欧美法治国家,保释是常态,羁押是例外。取保候审是我国《刑诉法》规定的一种非羁押性强制措施。因应刑事司法中保障人权的趋势和要求,扩大适用非羁押措施是刑事司法改革内容之一,但在我国目前社会状况下,囿于文化传统、民众心理、司法体制、物质基础、社会控制手段等因素,扩大适用取保候审存在诸多困难。认识和面对这些困难,以做出正确的改革选择是司法改革的重要环节。     

审前案件分流机制在我国刑事诉讼中的引入

随着刑事案件的不断增多，我国刑事追诉环节之公诉与审判工作困境频生。消解此种困境应当以公诉分流观念为引导，以程序正义为价值理念，通过缜密的程序设计，在我国刑事诉讼中引入审前案件分流机制以提高诉讼效益。     

Spinning on the Conference Circuit

ABSTRACT

Making sure political parties receive comprehensive and favourable media coverage is a full-time activity that extends beyond the period of election campaigns. In the era of the permanent campaign the annual autumn conferences of the main British political parties represent a publicity opportunity. The undivided media coverage of these events provides a platform for the political parties to sell themselves and their policies to a national audience beyond the conference venue, but also presents considerable risks. To ensure that they successfully exploit this publicity opportunity the party managers, with the aid of communication experts, both control the conferences and implement media management strategies. This article examines how the parties have adapted their conferences to sell themselves and their policies. It highlights the public relations techniques that are employed to ensure that party policy gains the desired positive news coverage and that the coverage of potentially damaging events is minimized. It concludes by considering the impact this marketing driven logic has on the party conferences and their media coverage.     

The effectiveness of UN environmental institutions

This is a study of the effectiveness of key UN institutions focussing on environment and sustainable development: the global conferences on development and the environment, the CSD and UNEP, primarily its co-ordinating functions. According to the indicators used to measure effectiveness here, it is concluded that the overall effectiveness of these institutions is quite low. This particularly applies to the CSD. UNEP has been quite effective in creating new institutions but has been less effective in co-ordinating them. As to the global conferences, their significance has been reduced over time.