续存、限制、渐废：再论中国刑罚之死刑命运

死刑终归与社会的发展和人类文明进程不协调,本次《刑法修正案（八）》顺应废止死刑的国际刑事政策潮流,取消了13个经济性非暴力犯罪的死刑,无疑是我国刑事立法的一大进步。但是我国现阶段仍不具备立废全部死刑的成熟条件,尚须在保留死刑的前提下,从立法、司法、政策及民众思想上创造限制死刑到全面废止死刑的条件。     

当引渡“遭遇”死刑

二战后,由于国际人权保护观念的高涨,“死刑不引渡”原则作为死刑废止论的一个表征和限制引渡的“安全阀”之一,而引人注目.当引渡“遭遇”死刑,当死刑关涉人权,当三者聚合在国际刑事司法合作中时,在保留死刑和废除死刑的国家间,造成了一些互不谅解的情况.其实,就目前世界发展状况而言,生存权仍是一种相对权,保留死刑和保障人权并不矛盾,各国应抱着求同存异的态度,协商解决矛盾,实现生存权和公共秩序保护之间的均衡.     

论我国死刑制度的实质性改革——以《刑法修正案(八)》削减死刑罪名为视角

《刑法修正案(八)》的出台引起社会高度关注,因为与以往历次《刑法》修正案相比,本次《刑法》修改可以说是幅度和力度最大的一次。《刑法修正案(八)》的亮点之一就是削减了死刑罪名,由于死刑是剥夺犯罪人生命的刑罚,因其严厉性、残酷性、非人道性和不可纠正性而长期为人所诟病,死刑之存废也是学界一直关注和争论的焦点问题,然而,就我国现阶段而言,对死刑依然保持现状或轻言完全废除都不可取,更重要的应当是在刑事立法和司法适用上对死刑进行有步骤地、渐进式地改革。从此意义上说,《刑法修正案(八)》充分表明我国已进入对死刑的实质性改革阶段。     

死刑案件被害人权利保护问题

在刑事司法领域,人权保障是一个内涵丰富且不断发展的制度体系。既要保障犯罪嫌疑人、被告人的合法权利,也要保障被害人的合法权利,同时注意二者平衡。1996年《刑事诉讼法》确认了被害人的诉讼主体地位,但由于缺少配套机制,导致实践中出现诸多问题。新《刑事诉讼法》在很大程度上完善了犯罪嫌疑人、被告人的诉讼权利及其保护,但较少涉及被害人的权利保护问题。与普通刑事案件相比,死刑案件给被害人造成的伤害尤为严重,应当给予特别保护。     

论危害结果与死刑的限制适用

危害结果在很大程度上反映出行为社会危害性的大小,在我国死刑裁量中发挥了重要作用。危害结果在很多情况下是作为酌定量刑情节的形态存在的,其对于死刑的限制适用具有重要意义。充分发挥危害结果情节在限制死刑适用中的作用,应当力戒死刑适用"唯后果论"的倾向;物质性的危害结果不是特别严重的,可以不判处死刑立即执行;危害结果的发生系存在介入因素的场合,应当慎用死刑立即执行。     

Watch for those fragments of evidence: the use of an automatic timepiece to help correlate a helicopter crash site from the Vietnam War

This case study illustrates the use of the date function on an automatic wristwatch to help identify a Vietnam War helicopter crash site. The location of a crash incident can sometimes be uncertain because of inadequate or inaccurate wartime records and the passage of time. Artifacts recovered from a prospective crash scene are regularly used to correlate the loss incident. In this case study, a recovered automatic watch displayed a date 2 days later than the reported loss incident. Although the date conflicts with the aircraft crash incident report, it is observed that a fully wound automatic watch continues to work for c. 2 days after movement of the watch ceases. Thus, the watch's date in fact correlates with the aircraft crash incident report. It is noted that automatic watches may also be used to date scenes of crime.     

Undiagnosed, untreated acute promyelocytic leukemia presenting as a suspicious sudden death

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a subtype of acute myelogenous leukemia frequently associated with clotting abnormalities and severe hemorrhagic diathesis. The disease is associated with a high incidence of early fatal hemorrhage. We report the sudden death of a 40-year-old male without significant medical history in which foul play had been initially suspected. A thorough postmortem investigation performed on the decedent lead to the diagnosis of APL. Cause of death was a cerebellar hematoma. Underlying APL should be considered in the differential diagnosis when unexplained bleeding is encountered in a decedent. This case emphasizes the value of routinely collecting bone marrow during an autopsy to enable accurate testing and diagnosis.     

Sudden and unexpected death from pituitary tumor apoplexy

Pituitary tumor apoplexy refers to a clinical syndrome precipitated by the expansion of a pituitary adenoma by hemorrhage or infarction. Individuals may present with myriad signs, including sudden onset of severe headache, visual changes, altered mental status, cranial nerve palsies, and hormonal dysfunction. This disorder constitutes a medical emergency and warrants an expedited evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment to prevent the potential sequelae of permanent visual loss, endocrine abnormalities, or death. We report a case of sudden death from undiagnosed pituitary tumor apoplexy. The decedent was evaluated by medical personnel on three occasions in the week prior to her death for severe headache, nausea, vomiting, and photophobia. Postmortem examination demonstrated a hemorrhagic infarction of a pituitary adenoma with necrosis and expansion out of the sella turcica. The recognition of and treatment for a patient with pituitary tumor apoplexy requires a rapid multidisciplinary effort. Failure of prompt diagnosis may be fatal and require a medico-legal death investigation for sudden and unexpected death.     

Influenza A/H1N1 (2009) Infection as a Cause of Unexpected Out‐of‐Hospital Death in the Young*

Abstract: In March 2009, a new strain of influenza A/H1N1 virus was identified in Mexico, responsible for a pandemic. Worldwide, more than 13,500 patients died, most often from acute respiratory distress syndrome. Because sudden death cases were rare, involving mostly young apparently healthy persons, influenza A/H1N1 (2009)‐related deaths may be misdiagnosed, which can raise medico‐legal issues. Case history: we report on an unexpected out‐of‐hospital death involving a young male with no past medical history and no vaccination. Fever was his only symptom. Laboratory tests: histology showed patchy necrotic foci with mononuclear inflammation in the lungs. The heart was histologically normal, but virological analyses using molecular biology on frozen myocardial samples showed high virus load. In conclusion, this case report shows that influenza A/H1N1 (2009) virus can be a cause of sudden cardiac death in the young and demonstrates the importance of quantitative virological analyses for the diagnosis of myocarditis.     

A case of sudden infant death due to a primary cardiac sarcoma

The case reported herein concerns the unexpected death of a 3-month-old female newborn who suddenly collapsed in her mother's arms and was dead on arrival at the hospital. The clinical histories of the baby and her parents were negative for symptoms or signs of illness, even those of cardiovascular origin. Furthermore, no clinical appearance of a pathologic status was noted by pediatricians after the birth until the last emergency recovery. The autopsy excluded external and internal signs of violence but revealed a large primary cardiac tumor arising from the free wall of the left ventricle, which had totally invaded the heart causing mitral valve deformation. Histological examination showed a low-grade sarcoma that completely infiltrated the myocardial tissue. The pathogenesis of this sudden infant death was postulated as being owing to a fatal ventricular fibrillation combined with a tumor-related restrictive cardiomyopathy obstructing left ventricular filling.