The Death of Freddie Gray and Its Impact on Homicides in Baltimore and Maryland

This study evaluated the impact that Freddie Gray’s death on April, 19, 2015, had on homicides within Baltimore, Prince George’s County, and the rest of Maryland. The numbers of these deaths were compared in the 2 years prior and after his death. The average number of homicide per month in Baltimore and Prince George’s County, but not the rest of Maryland, showed a statistically significant increase in the 2 years after his death, with a sudden spike in homicides in Baltimore immediately following his death. Spatial density (“heat”) maps of homicides showed an increase in clustering of deaths after Freddie Gray’s demise in portions of Baltimore, particularly near his arrest site. Hot spot maps showed a massive expansion of statistically significant clusters of homicides in areas of West and East Baltimore after his death. An emerging hot spot analysis revealed consecutive hot spots in large areas of West Baltimore with new hot spots prominent along the southern edge of this area. A review of the history of Baltimore, as well as discussions with Baltimore homicide detectives, revealed that prior socioeconomic and political trends likely primed Baltimore for the protests and violence that occurred after Freddie Gray’s death. It is probable that a perceived “overcharging” of officers involved in his death by the State’s Attorney resulted in a “pullback” from policing that directly led to increased homicides in Baltimore.     

入室盗窃、盗窃着手与盗窃未遂

入室盗窃是盗窃犯罪的一种主要形式,对于入室盗窃的情况下行为人何时成立盗窃的着手,有不同的学说。由于行为人侵入住宅即已体现了盗窃的犯罪意思,并且对财产权构成了现实的威胁,因此以盗窃之目的侵入住宅时可视为盗窃的着手。但盗窃的着手只是成立盗窃未遂犯罪的一个条件,要成立盗窃的未遂犯罪,还必须以数额巨大的财产为盗窃目标或符合相应条件,为此,还应正确处理盗窃着手与之的关系。     

信用卡犯罪若干疑难问题探析

本文针对信用卡犯罪理论上和实践中存在的诸多疑难问题进行了深入研究。笔者认为:盗窃信用卡并使用的定性应具体问题具体分析,不宜笼统地以盗窃罪论处;对捡拾信用卡及其后续行为的认定应分而论之;盗划信用卡应当以信用卡诈骗罪论处;与信用卡有关的勾结犯罪、持有犯罪、恶意透支等问题也应区别对待。此外,笔者还对信用卡犯罪在立法上存在的空缺及司法上存在的错误倾向提出了建设性完善意见。     

Theoretical and Empirical Work on the Relationship Between Unemployment and Crime

Part of the ongoing debate between Cantor and Land and Greenberg centers on differing opinions about the question of interest in Cantor and Land (1985). We begin this article with our opinion that Cantor and Land's theory relates changes in the business cycle to changes in the aggregate rate of crime. We then question whether year-to-year changes adequately reflect changes in the business cycle, which last on average 4 years, and we refer to an article by Cook and Zarkin (1985) which presents an alternative method of measuring business cycle changes. We also discuss how Greenberg's use of cointegration provides an alternative way of addressing the difficult statistical problem of nonstationarity without resorting to first differences. Our final contribution involves noticing that opportunity and motivational theories of crime can be structurally identified by focusing on different types of crime rather than temporal lags. We demonstrate this idea by splitting car theft into joyriding and theft for profit. We show that joyriding appears to be driven by opportunity, while the causal structure of theft for profit is less clear.     

划分盗窃犯罪圈的基本规律

定性盗窃须依据实体标准,《刑法修正案(八)》扩大盗窃犯罪圈却有收紧制裁圈之效;司法解释虽在立法基础上具体定性规则,数额的经年不变却可能令犯罪圈隐性扩张;为此,个案情节的适用能够起到内敛犯罪圈的作用。定性盗窃还须经程序控制,因为出罪案件未经刑事诉讼程序的过滤,相关立法及司法解释之疏漏可能被遮蔽,因动机、赔偿情节豁免出罪的理由可能不甚清晰。     

论对犯罪现场信息的充分把握

现场勘查是案件侦查过程中的一个重要组成部分。针对当前犯罪现场的特点,在现有设施条件下要有效地发挥现场勘查的作用,现场勘查的主体必须优化勘查工作:强化侦查意识,实现技术工作与侦查工作的融合;综合认识现场,挖掘犯罪现场的潜在信息;整体把握现场,加强对关联现场的勘查。     

O.J.'s defense: A reductio ad absurdum of the economics of Coase and Posner

A reductio ad absurdum takes the principles of a doctrine, applies them exactly as their creators did only to an entirely different subject and with horrendous results, and thus shows what absurd conclusions are logically compatible with the original thesis. This article applies the tenets of the Chicago law and economics tradition, as adumbrated by two of its most distinguished practitioners, Coase and Posner. It shows that on the basis of this canon a case can be made out for freeing O.J. Simpson—even if he did indeed kill his wife. The article is an attempt to show that the libertarian reliance on personal and private property rights is a much more robust thesis than the Chicago precept of wealth maximization.     

论铁路旅财案件的特点及侦查对策

铁路不仅是社会的主要交通运输工具 ,也是一个社会人财物高度聚集的流动的开放性的公共场所。旅客财物被盗窃 (以下简称旅财 )是铁路上的最多发案件 ,直接侵害广大旅客的财产安全 ,不仅给广大旅客造成了非常大的经济损失 ,而且损害了铁路企业的声誉 ,有时甚至对国家的军事、科技、外交等产生重要影响。无论是从案件构成的规律特点 ,还是案件的管辖上来看 ,铁路旅财案件都有着很强的特殊性。铁路旅财案件的主要特点 :(一 )犯罪主体的多样性 ;(二 )作案时空的选择性 ;(三 )作案手段的多样化与技术性 ;(四 )现场痕迹易被破坏 ,现场多有目击者。铁路旅财案件的主要侦查对策 :(一 )调查访问 ;(二 )追击堵截 ;(三 )通报协查 ;(四 )现场勘验 ;(五 )以物找人 ;(六 )利用情报资料 ;(七 )使用特情 ;(八 )抓获现行。     

提高盗窃案件现场勘查质量的几点认识

盗窃案件具有发案高、现场多、情况多变、痕迹物证分布复杂、现场容易被破坏和伪装等特点。因而盗窃案件现场勘查质量的高低 ,往往直接影响案件的侦破工作。针对当前盗窃案件现场勘查中存在的问题 ,文章提出 :1 加强对现场勘查重要性认识 ;2 规范现场勘查的各个环节 ;3 不断增强技术人员的业务素质 ;4 建立现场勘查信息系统 ;5 建立更加合理的激励机制。     

两高司法解释“曾因盗窃受过刑事处罚”规定解读

两高于2013年4月4日下发了《关于办理盗窃刑事案件适用法律若干问题的解释》,其中第2条第1款"曾因盗窃受过刑事处罚"的规定在司法实践中引起一定争议,包括对该规定时间效力的把握、盗窃前科的界定和受过刑事处罚范围的理解。检察机关在适用该款规定时,应当站在刑法体系整体协调的高度,严格遵循从旧兼从轻的刑事法律时间效力原则,运用正确的法律解释方法,坚持刑法谦抑和有利于犯罪嫌疑人的司法理念,有理有据、不枉不纵,确保检察工作法律效果和社会效果的良好统一。