La evolución del crimen de lesa humanidad en el derecho penal internacional*

Due to its “ex novo” character and the lack of a definition provided by a treaty, crimes against humanity have been evolutionarily defined by different international norms and by the jurisdictional activity of the International criminal tribunals that have been established throughout recent history up until the creation of the International Criminal Court. Thus, both positive and customary International criminal law have represented a competent judicial cooperative way to face these acts, first and foremost, by developing its gradual conceptualization and final codification and, secondly, through enabling the prosecution and the punishment of those responsible for these crimes. Accordingly, the evolution of the crimes against humanity’s definition is an outstanding legal element, which has contributed to the further consolidation of international criminal law.     

The moving targets of penal abolitionism: ICOPA,past, present and future

The history of the International Conference on Penal Abolition (ICOPA) is explored, assessing major trends shaping the current growth of carceral practices and offering suggestions for the future of the conference movement. The goal here is to facilitate the expansion of abolitionism by describing the changing nature of what is to be abolished. A discussion of the emergence of prison abolitionism and of the ICOPA is presented, describing the shift in focus from prison to penal abolition. Taking these developments and character into account, an abolitionist gaze must be expanded to reflect a carceral abolition project, encompassing contemporary penal abolitionism while acknowledging the proliferation of carceral practices and spaces outside the traditional penal system.     

欧洲恢复性司法概述：以比利时为视角

恢复性司法在欧洲的分布版图并不均匀,有些国家,如奥地利、比利时、芬兰等国在恢复性司法的研究和实务方面处于主导地位,但在法国、意大利、西班牙等国的推行并不理想。与大多数欧洲国家一样,比利时的恢复性司法的主要形式是刑事调解。其刑事调解项目启始于20世纪80年代末,从未成年人司法领域开始实践,尔后运用到成年人的轻微刑事案件中,最后推及到整个刑事程序并适用于任何案件。     

刑罚轻缓化的理性思考

在刑罚发展的历史进程中,其发展的总体趋势趋于轻缓：由残酷走向人道,由野蛮走向文明,由严刑峻罚逐步趋于轻缓。刑罚轻缓化的背后蕴含着深厚的理论基础：刑罚人道主义、刑法的谦抑性和刑罚功能的有限性。以此理论为支撑,为了使刑罚轻缓化朝着正确的方向发展,应处理好与罪刑相适应原则、刑罚的本质和现阶段宽严相济刑事政策之间的关系。     

关于附带民事诉讼若干问题的思考

刑事附带民事诉讼是刑民结合的一项重要制度 ,是遭受犯罪行为而受到损害的被害人维护自己合法民事权益的一种重要途径 ,但由于我国刑事附带民事诉讼的立法相对简单、薄弱 ,实践中还存在许多问题 ,文章论述了刑事附带民事诉讼的案件范围 ,特别提及的是精神损害赔偿是否应纳入刑事附带民事诉讼范围 ,以及诉讼中诸如是否交纳诉讼费、提起的期限、诉讼时效的计算、被告人是否有权提出民事反诉等程序性问题 ,并就上述问题提出了思考意见和立法建议。     

论“家庭型”共同受贿犯罪若干难问题

"家庭型"共同受贿犯罪成立的理论基础是共同犯罪的基本原理,但应注意这种共犯是有条件的,不能一概而论,应根据共同受贿的不同形态进行定性分析.在共同受贿犯罪中,每个共同犯罪人要对共同受贿的所得数额承担责任,而不能以个人分赃的数额量刑定罚.     

刑事执行一体化背景下完善刑罚监督问题研究

刑事执行一体化是我国当前司法体制改革和刑事理论探讨的热门问题。刑事执行一体化的改革与实践,必将在一定程度上影响到刑罚执行法律监督制度的执行。     

Prison sentences: last resort or the default sanction?

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the sentencing purposes for penal penalties, judges’ perceptions of sentencing purposes and prison sentences, and the effects of penal sanctions. We examine judges’ positions towards different penalties, with a focus on imprisonment, since their views on the different penalties are related to their sentencing decision-making. Understanding these views is then critical for several practical and political purposes, including bridging the gap between academic discourse and legal practice. We accessed judges’ views on penal sanctions through a questionnaire and an interview. Our sample is compounded by the judges of the criminal courts from the three major cities in Portugal. Despite the most recent criminological empirical knowledge, judges valued imprisonment as the most adequate sentence, both for different crimes and for different judicial purposes. This result is not consistent with viewing imprisonment as a ‘last resort’ solution. Indeed, we did not find this ‘last resort’ position in our data, and it is not apparent in the judicial statistics on imprisonment rates. Our data highlight the importance of increasing judges’ training on criminological and sociological issues as well as the importance of changing the influence of their personal beliefs regarding penal sanctions into research-based positions.     

当代英美刑法中的人格地位与人格评估

随着"报应模式"在当今英美刑法领域的衰微,犯罪人在英美刑法中的地位不断提高,刑法适用越来越重视人格.人格评估的方式在英美之间不尽相同,美国通过犯罪史进行评估,英国使用罪犯评估系统.     

CRACKS IN THE PENAL HARM MOVEMENT: EVIDENCE FROM THE FIELD*

Research Summary For more than three decades, the penal harm movement, which involves “get tough” ideology and policies, has held sway over U.S. corrections. Scholars have justifiably detailed and decried this movement, but in so doing, they have also inadvertently contributed to the view that a punitive worldview is hegemonic. In contrast, we detail four major “cracks” in the penal harm movement's dominance: the persistence of rehabilitative public attitudes, the emergence of second thoughts about the wisdom of harsh sanctions, the implementation of progressive programs, and the increasing legitimacy of the principles of effective intervention for guiding correctional practices. Policy Implications Taken together, these “cracks” comprise evidence that ideological space and political will exist to fight the penal harm movement and to map out a more efficacious and progressive response to crime. Because of the persistence of social welfare sentiments and growing challenges to the legitimacy of “get tough” policies, the potential to continue, if not expand, this countermovement is present. Taking advantage of this opportunity, however, will require forfeiting the belief that there is no escape from a punitive future and undertaking systematic efforts to devise correctional strategies that are based on solid science, improve offenders' lives, and protect public safety.