Development and Implementation of an Effective Blind Proficiency Testing Program

Blind proficiency testing is ideal for testing crime laboratory personnel because the elements of analyst bias and anticipation are removed. However, sending proficiency tests through the laboratory system as real casework is difficult. The substantial challenges with preparing and administering blind tests may prevent laboratory managers from initiating blind testing. In 2015, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences committed to improving its crime laboratory’s proficiency testing program by adding blind tests. The goal was to test the whole system, from evidence receipt to report release. With careful planning, trial-and-error, and ongoing assessment of available resources, not only was the program proven to be feasible, but there was also clear understanding of how to optimize our program. In this article, we share our experiences, lessons learned, and program details to assist other forensic service providers with developing their own blind testing programs, which would ultimately lead to improved quality assurance.     

Judicial independence and state-business relations: the case of Taiwan’s ordinary courts

The question of how ordinary courts in new and emerging democracies may gain judicial independence remains an understudied subject compared to its constitutional court counterpart. Through a case study of Taiwan, this article adopts and expands upon the concept of power diffusion from the extant literature, arguing that the growing power of Taiwan’s private corporate sector led the dominant political party Kuomintang (KMT) to grant independence to the ordinary courts as a means to check against this threat, because the excessive rent-seeking and corruption brought about by these empowered corporations were threatening the nation’s successful economic model and its rule of law. Also, due to the corporate sector’s growing influence on the ruling party itself, the KMT leadership had to devise strategies that can credibly commit to ordinary court independence, which would otherwise be reversed thereafter. This unique implication guides a qualitative empirical analysis that reinterprets the historical events surrounding the judicial reforms that took place in the mid-1990s. The results yield strong evidence in support of the theory.     

贪污贿赂犯罪案件诉讼程序的反思与重构

贪污贿赂犯罪作为权力型职务犯罪，越来越具有高智能性、高隐秘性的特点。现行刑诉法所规定的诉讼程序是在特定历史条件下仅为普通刑事犯罪所设计，并没有考虑到贪污贿赂犯罪案件的特殊性而赋予相应的特殊诉讼程序，已不能满足当前贪污贿赂犯罪侦查与审判工作的需要。规定贪污贿赂犯罪案件特殊诉讼程序，是检察机关职务犯罪侦查权合理配置与运行的重要内容。随着社会发展和科技进步，国家应权衡利弊得失，有必要对贪污贿赂犯罪案件的诉讼程序在立法上进行修改完善和在制度上进行科学构建。     

论巨额财产来源不明罪的立法缺陷及完善

巨额财产来源不明罪从出现之日,就引起学术界巨大纷争。该罪具有出现的必要性和科学性,但其存在的缺陷和不足是显而易见的。本文从犯罪构成、罪名及法定刑方面重新认识该罪,并提出完善对策,进行制度构建,以期抛砖引玉,与同行商榷。     

积极引导社会力量参与法律援助

北京市的法律援助工作,关系到首都社会经济发展的大局。文章以纪实方式,对北京市近10年来积极开展法律援助社会化工作,进行了细致、全面地回顾,对北京市今后继续加大支持、引导力度,推动社会力量参与法律援助实现规范化、多元化发展作了深入的探索和思考。     

The effects of base rate and cutoff point choice on commonly used measures of association and accuracy in recidivism research

Several measures of association and accuracy commonly used in the recidivism literature are examined for their sensitivity to variations in the proportion observed to recidivate (the base rate) and in the proportion selected for classification as recidivists (selection ratio). Logistic regression models are employed on a sample of 11,749 convicted offenders to generate predicted probabilities of four recidivism criteria varying in base rates from 0.06 to 0.48. Cutoff point selections from 0.1 to 0.9 show the effects of cutoff point changes on the following commonly used measures of association and accuracy: RIOC (relative improvement over chance), MCR (mean cost rating), Φ, γ, PRE (proportion reduction in error), and percentage correct. While all these statistics vary across base rate and cutoff points, some vary more than others: RIOC varies across cutoff points more than MCR, MCR more than Φ, and Φ more than γ. Researchers comparing such statistics across studies need be wary of the dangers of ignoring such variation.     

规律性短时巨大交通流量集中区域交通组织方法及实证研究——以湖南省娄底市贤童街交通改善为例

巨大交通流量在短时间内规律性地高度集中和疏散，已经成为城市内一种日益常见的交通行为现象，典型的有如一些办学规模较大的中小学学校通学交通以及由此衍生的其他交通行为。本文结合湖南省娄底市第一中学等学校所在区域的交通问题，通过实证分析的方法，在对道路基础设施不做大型建设改造的低投入原则下，通过交通组织理论和交通管理手段的合理运用，采用单向交通、错时上下学等简便而且低投入的交通组织与管理措施，对存在交通难题进行了极为有效改善，并从此得到相应启示。     

新形势下党内民主建设迫切性的系统分析

中国共产党历来重视发展党内民主．但目前党内民主的现状，相对于新形势下我们党自身发展的状况以及党所面临的国际国内环境而言，仍难尽如人意。正确认识和积极应对新形势下的挑战，这就要求我们党加快发展党内民主，加强党内民主的制度建设，使党内民主真正成为党的生命。     

我国公务员激励机制存在的问题及完善的思路

当前,我国政府活力不足和腐败问题比较突出,这与我国公务员激励机制弱化或失效密切相关。本文旨在通过比较分析我国公务员激励机制存在的问题,总结我国及西方发达国家公务员激励机制的研究成果和实践经验,深入探讨其形成的原因,并就如何完善我国公务员激励机制提出自己的思考。     

论民族自治地方金融管理法律制度的创新和完善

我国民族自治地方金融发展落后的现状严重阻碍了民族自治地方市场经济的全面、协调、可持续发展。因此,我们要以法律手段来保障民族自治地方深化金融发展战略的实施。目前,我国的现行法律和政策对民族自治地方金融发展的支持力度明显不足,为此,应以多种立法途径和方式来创新和完善民族自治地方金融管理法律制度。