中美两国死刑制度之立法原因比较

中美两国尽管在文化传统、社会制度、经济发展水平等方面均存在较大差异,但在废止或严格限制死刑的世界性潮流面前,对死刑却采取了相似的政策——既保留死刑又限制其适用,其中既有民意因素,也有政治因素。美国现阶段的高犯罪率、南方的私刑传统、历史上未经纳粹统治等因素导致其支持死刑的民意高涨,这对于政治精英、联邦最高法院及地区法官和检察官都有影响;在中国,现阶段社会治安形势恶化、礼法传统与家族主义的深远影响,以及缺少西方启蒙运动洗礼等因素导致民意支持死刑,这对于执政党、立法机关和司法机关,以及法官与检察官个人,都产生了深刻的影响。在政治因素方面,美国联邦与各州的权限划分以及盛行的联邦主义是影响其现行死刑制度的重要原因;在中国,统治者所奉行的"乱世用重典"的治国之策和重刑主义的历史传统、特殊历史时期所形成的"左"的错误,都是影响中国死刑制度的重要原因。对于中美两国死刑制度进行改造,应注意从民意与政治因素方面着手进行。

A Comparison of Legislative Cause of Death Penalty between China and the US

Although China and the US differ a great deal in culture,social system and economic developments,they have adopted a similar policy towards death penalty,i.e.preserving it while restricting its imposition.Public opinion and political factors are the main consideration for the two countries to adapt such a policy while the voice is becoming piercing in the world that capital punishment should be abolished or at least strictly restricted.In the US,high crime rate,lynching tradition in the south and having never been ruled by the Nazi are all reasons why the public opinion is in favor of death penalty,which exerts a deep influence on politicians,the US Supreme Court and district courts as well as the prosecution.In China,deteriorate social order,ceremonialist tradition,ancestral ideas and lack of the Enlightenment spirits make public opinion strongly support death penalty,which in turn has great impact on the party in power,the legislature,the judiciary and the prosecution.In terms of politics,power division between the federal and state governments in the US and its existing federalism play an important role in making of death penalty policy.In China,the ruling policy of "imposition of severe penalty in troubled times," "severe punishment" tradition and "left deviation idea" cultivated in the special historical period all contribute to reservation of capital punishment.While improving the death penalty policy in the two countries,the factors mentioned above should be fully considered.