‘The Secret Nazi Network’ and Post-World War II Latvian Émigrés in the United States

This study of post-World War II political refugees from Latvia in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s uses data from American and Latvian periodicals, printed materials and archival records to uncover the complexities in small immigrant groups’ collective memory, political position and relations with the dominant group. When a number of Latvians were accused by the Office of Special Investigations of having lied on their immigration forms about their collaboration with the Nazis, this story gained political undertones and propelled the émigré community into an intra-group debate over its history and public image.     

Liberating Discretion: The Effect of Rape Myth Factors on Prosecutors’ Decisions to Charge Suspects in Penetrative and Non-Penetrative Sex Offenses

Abstract

In sexual assault cases, prosecutorial charging decisions may be influenced by legal factors like offense seriousness and convictability and extralegal rape myths. We use data on sexual assaults in Los Angeles, to test for the effects of victim behavior, victim credibility, and “real rape” stereotypes on the decision to file charges. We also test the liberation hypothesis, examining whether rape myths influence the charge decision more in less serious nonpenetrative cases then in penetrative cases. Results show that victim credibility and behavior, but not consistency with real rape stereotypes, affect charging decisions, even after controlling for legally relevant factors, and they influence prosecutors’ charging decisions equally in penetrative and nonpenetrative cases. Rape myths also influence the charging decision indirectly via victim cooperation. We conclude that rape myths are incorporated into the criminal justice system’s definition of and response to sexual violence, so cannot be addressed by changing case screening policies.     

Domesticating the future?: Citizen’s income discussion in Estonia

ABSTRACT

Citizen’s income is an idea that is currently gaining ground in many parts of the world. The prospect of disappearing jobs and social exclusion that the globalized world faces has given the idea of guaranteed income a new urgency. This article is a pilot sociological study of the citizen’s income discussion in post-socialist Estonia. The article is based on qualitative research: interviews with experts from different fields and an analysis of print media. Four systematic approaches to citizen’s income are differentiated in the paper. We analyze the views on the idea in order to explore their significance for the Estonian economic status quo and welfare state.     

Legal grounds to process personal data under Spanish legislation after the ECJ Judgment of 24 November 2011 (the ASNEF and FECEMD case)

Spanish law on personal data protection regulates (among other issues) the legal bases that permit the processing of data in a way that is similar to that set out in Directive 95/46/EC. Consent constitutes the general rule although data may be processed without it if necessary for administration functions, within the framework of a contractual relationship, in order to safeguard the vital interests of the data subject or if they are included in sources accessible to the public. However, unlike the Directive, legitimate interest is not recognised as an independent reason for processing data, whereas a legal ground that is not set out in community law is included, i.e., sources accessible to the public. This paper analyses these two cases, taking as its starting point consent, along with the consequences that the ECJ Judgment of 24 November 2011 regarding the interpretation of Article 7 of Directive 95/46/EC may have and giving attention to the revision of this Directive itself.     

消费者反垄断诉讼的本源与我国应然之探

对于私人反垄断执行,美国《反托拉斯法》所规定的三倍赔偿制度功不可没,为此,许多学者都认为,在确定消费者反垄断诉讼的制度中,也应确定这种民事惩罚性的机制,才能使消费者反垄断诉讼得到很好的运行。但在私人反垄断践行最好的美国,消费者个人是被排除在私人执行之外的,按照美国《反托拉斯法》的规定,消费者个人并不能获得三倍赔偿的诉讼激励。美国《反托拉斯法》所规定的三倍赔偿机制系基于其责任体系仅有民事责任和刑事责任,没有处于刑事和民事责任之间的行政处罚责任,民事责任的三倍赔偿机制实际起到了落实"应刑罚性"和刑罚"最后手段性"的威慑与嚇阻重任。而在反垄断法责任中存在刑事责任、民事责任和行政责任的国家,行政责任中的行政处罚责任完全担当了刑事威慑和遏制的补充责任,为避免过度制裁和重复制裁而普遍都没有设置三倍的民事赔偿责任。消费者反垄断诉讼必须以维持市场秩序为本,对消费者反垄断诉讼的高热情和高厚望必须回归到理性和现实,在具体制度的设置时也应有所体现。     

论被害人过错与刑法宽容

任何形式的＂犯罪———被害＂,无一不是被害人与犯罪人之间二元互动的结果。事实上,被害人通过其致害因素,直接或间接地、有意或无意地参与了与犯罪人之间的互动。可以说,所有的被害人都对自己的被害亦即犯罪的发生负有不同程度的责任。既然如此,那么在对犯罪人定罪量刑时,就应当考虑被害人的过错因素,对犯罪人给予适当宽容。     

刑事抗诉实证研究——以海淀区人民检察院五年来的刑事抗诉案件为视角

本文依托北京市海淀区人民检察院近五年来的抗诉实践,在比较借鉴国外部分国家刑事抗诉制度的基础上,对我国目前的刑事抗诉制度及实践中存在的问题进行梳理,进而提出了完善我国的刑事抗诉制度的合理化建议。     

论夫妻约定财产制度的适用困境——由夫妻二人公司出资协议性质争议引发的思考

夫妻二人出资所创办的公司,其股东出资协议的性质存在一定的争议,如何界定并厘清夫妻二人公司,讨论夫妻财产制契约的性质和夫妻二人公司的股东出资协议的性质则显得十分必要,揭示我国夫妻财产制的立法不足,探究解决办法也相当重要。夫妻财产制契约是身份契约,夫妻二人公司的股权出资协议不是夫妻财产制契约。要完善婚姻法律制度必须改变“一事一议”的立法模式。     

宪法视阈下的农民群体性事件思考

农民群体性事件已经受到社会各界的普遍关注,对农民群体性事件的研究正在向着多领域、多角度方向展开和延伸。但农民群体性事件问题的本质仍是权利问题,因此,要研究该问题就必然要对它进行宪法上的界定,进而寻求农民群体性事件发生的宪法根源,最后从宪法高度找到应对农民群体性事件的"良方"。