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Full-Text Articles in Law
Comment On Using Criminal Punishment To Serve Both Victim And Social Needs, John O. Haley
Comment On Using Criminal Punishment To Serve Both Victim And Social Needs, John O. Haley
Law and Contemporary Problems
Haley comments on the argument underlying the article by Erin Ann O'Hara and Maria Mayo Robbins, which emphasizes on victim-offender mediation (VOM). By expanding the frame of reference, restorative justice can be defined as a paradigm whose scope encompasses more than VOM and whose emphasis includes the needs of society and offenders as well as victims. Restorative justice involves a wide variety of processes and programs that are more apt to restore both those who commit and those who suffer wrongs. It includes children at risk programs, drug courts, violence-treatment programs, as well as VOM programs. It also includes efforts …
Using Criminal Punishment To Serve Both Victim And Social Needs, Erin Ann O'Hara, Maria Mayo Robbins
Using Criminal Punishment To Serve Both Victim And Social Needs, Erin Ann O'Hara, Maria Mayo Robbins
Law and Contemporary Problems
In recent decades, the criminal-justice pendulum has swung to the opposite extreme. Criminal law is often described as covering disputes between the offender and the state. Victims are not direct parties to criminal proceedings, they have no formal right to either initiate or terminate a criminal action, and they have no control over the punishment meted out to offenders. In this state-centric system, victim needs have been left unsatisfied, giving rise to a politically powerful victims' rights movement that has had success in giving victims rights of access to prosecutors and rights to be heard in the courtroom. Here, O'Hara …
Never Being Able To Say You’Re Sorry: Barriers To Apology By Leaders In Group Conflicts, Roger Conner, Patricia Jordan
Never Being Able To Say You’Re Sorry: Barriers To Apology By Leaders In Group Conflicts, Roger Conner, Patricia Jordan
Law and Contemporary Problems
Conner and Jordan discuss three implications of the foregoing analysis for leaders, peacemakers, and scholars interested in apology as an instrument to advance justice, prevent destructive conflict, and promote cooperation. First, an effective apology is likely to occur only after other changes have "softened up" negative attitudes between the groups--referred to here as "ripeness." Second, even with a degree of ripeness, apology is unlikely without a "window of opportunity," a confluence of circumstances that permits the leader to limit the scope of the apology so as not to concede too much. Third, even if these conditions are satisfied, words alone …
Saving Face: The Benefits Of Not Saying I’M Sorry, Brent T. White
Saving Face: The Benefits Of Not Saying I’M Sorry, Brent T. White
Law and Contemporary Problems
White discusses the socio-psychological research that suggests humans invest significant emotional stake in "face"--or their "claimed identity as a competent, intelligent, or moral persons"--and apologize only when they can do so without significant "face threat." Criminal offenders, many of whom are likely to be low on self-determination, may resist apology to victims out of psychological fragility and the psychological need to preserve face rather than lack of remorse. Thus, the criminal-justice system should be cautious about punishing offenders more harshly because they fail to show external remorse--or even when they are openly defiant. This caution should be exercised whether the …
Revisiting The Legal Link Between Genetics And Crime, Deborah W. Denno
Revisiting The Legal Link Between Genetics And Crime, Deborah W. Denno
Law and Contemporary Problems
In 1994, convicted murderer Stephen Mobley became a cause celebre when he appealed his death sentence before the Georgia Supreme Court in the case of Mobley v. State. Denno describes the potential implications arising from the high-profile case of Stephen Mobley. He sought to introduce a then-cutting-edge theory that violence could be based on a genetic or neurochemical abnormality as mitigating evidence during capital sentencing.
Considering Convergence: A Policy Dialogue About Behavioral Genetics, Neuroscience, And Law, Brent Garland, Mark S. Frankel
Considering Convergence: A Policy Dialogue About Behavioral Genetics, Neuroscience, And Law, Brent Garland, Mark S. Frankel
Law and Contemporary Problems
Garland and Frankel issue a call for scientists, lawyers, courts and lawmakers to begin a critical dialogue about the implications of scientific discoveries and technological advances in criminal law, behavioral genetics and neuroscience.
A Penny For Their Thoughts: Draft Resistance At The Poston Relocation Center, Eric L. Muller
A Penny For Their Thoughts: Draft Resistance At The Poston Relocation Center, Eric L. Muller
Law and Contemporary Problems
Muller examines the prosecution and sentencing of Japanese Americans who resisted the draft of WWII from their internment camps. Although the hundreds of cases were almost identical, approaches to justice and sentencing of offenders varied widely.
Taking The Punishment Out Of The Process: From Substantive Criminal Justice Through Procedural Justice To Restorative Justice, Brenda Sims Blackwell, Clark D. Cunningham
Taking The Punishment Out Of The Process: From Substantive Criminal Justice Through Procedural Justice To Restorative Justice, Brenda Sims Blackwell, Clark D. Cunningham
Law and Contemporary Problems
If the punishment is taken out of the process, and the processes of criminal justice become effective at restoration--and if rigorous empirical research might show that a restorative process costs less money and produces greater public safety--that would be a result everyone would embrace.
Left Out, Louis Michael Seidman
Left Out, Louis Michael Seidman
Law and Contemporary Problems
Seidman presents information on the collapse of the progressive left's position on criminal justice. The faltering of the left in this area is due to inherent contradictions in their position which have weakened their stance overall.
Foreword: The Political Geography Of Race Data In The Criminal Justice System, Andrew E. Taslitz
Foreword: The Political Geography Of Race Data In The Criminal Justice System, Andrew E. Taslitz
Law and Contemporary Problems
Several months ago, there was a heated discussion on CrimProf, the listserv for criminal law professors, about the disproportionate representation of minorities in the criminal justice system. Few participants in this online discussion contested the reality that racial and ethnic minorities, especially African Americans, make up a far larger percentage of those arrested and incarcerated than should be expected from their percentage of the country's total population.
Drug Wars In Black And White, Joseph E. Kennedy
Drug Wars In Black And White, Joseph E. Kennedy
Law and Contemporary Problems
The debate over the racial complexion of the war against drugs often devolves into a clash of fundamental assumptions that are difficult to either validate or refute. Ultimately, however, the criminal justice system is destined to find crime only where it looks for crime.
The Reality Of Racial Disparity In Criminal Justice: The Significance Of Data Collection, David A. Harris
The Reality Of Racial Disparity In Criminal Justice: The Significance Of Data Collection, David A. Harris
Law and Contemporary Problems
Criminologists have long debated the presence of racial disparity at various places in the criminal justice system, from initial on-the-street encounters between citizens and police officers to the sentencing behavior of judges. What is new is the use of statistics designed to persuade the public, and not just other academics and researchers, that grave racial disparities exist in the system, and that these disparities necessitate significant policy changes.
Study Habits: Probing Modern Attempts To Assess Minority Offender Disproportionality, Sharon L. Davies
Study Habits: Probing Modern Attempts To Assess Minority Offender Disproportionality, Sharon L. Davies
Law and Contemporary Problems
Oregon, Washington and Utah have recently taken empirical steps to assess the extent to which minorities are overrepresented in their respective criminal justice systems and to seek out the root causes of any overrepresentation observed. Davies contrasts and critiques the disparate analytical approaches utilized by these states and offers some thoughts about how people might improve the chances of success of future similar efforts.
The Irresolution Of Rome, Ruth Wedgwood
The Irresolution Of Rome, Ruth Wedgwood
Law and Contemporary Problems
Wedgwood argues that it would be a pity to allow international misjudgment of the long-term security environment to generate a disregard for the constructive tasks of American military power, and fatally hobble shared support for an effective criminal tribunal. American Senators and military leaders--and the American public--will want to see how the International Criminal Court works in practice before considering the possibility of full ratification and formal membership. If this "look-over" period is not safe, the advocates seeking a "war on the court" may win the day.
International Criminal Law After Rome: Concerns From A U.S. Military Perspective, William K. Lietzau
International Criminal Law After Rome: Concerns From A U.S. Military Perspective, William K. Lietzau
Law and Contemporary Problems
Lietzau argues that the US cannot support the International Criminal Court because it fails to recognize its unique responsibilities in the world when issues of international peace and security are involved. The changes sought by the US in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court should be implemented not just because US participation is key to an effective, functioning court, but because enacting them promotes the rule of law and is therefore the right thing to do.
High Crimes And Misconceptions: The Icc And Non-Party States, Madeline Morris
High Crimes And Misconceptions: The Icc And Non-Party States, Madeline Morris
Law and Contemporary Problems
The dilemma underlying the debate about the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction over non-party nationals stems primarily from the conflicting needs for the ICC to have sufficient jurisdictional powers to bring to justice perpetrators of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, and simultaneously, for states to retain appropriate discretion regarding methods of dispute settlement when the lawfulness of their official acts is in dispute.
The Risks And Weaknesses Of The International Criminal Court From America’S Perspective, John R. Bolton
The Risks And Weaknesses Of The International Criminal Court From America’S Perspective, John R. Bolton
Law and Contemporary Problems
Bolton argues the US should raise its objections to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on every appropriate occasion, as part of its larger campaign to assert American interests against stifling, illegitimate, and unacceptable international agreements. The US has many alternative foreign policy instruments to utilize that are fully consistent with US interests, leaving the ICC to the obscurity it richly deserves.
The International Criminal Court: Issues For Consideration By The United States Senate, Patricia Mcnerney
The International Criminal Court: Issues For Consideration By The United States Senate, Patricia Mcnerney
Law and Contemporary Problems
McNerney states that many in Congress who oppose the International Criminal Court are also some of the stronger advocates of the US speaking out against human rights abuses around the world. Rather than advocating the creation of an international criminal court that attempts to take decision making authority away from governments and invalidate the rule of law, however, they argue that more should be done to facilitate extradition of criminals to stand trial where they are accused.
The International Criminal Court: Current Issues And Perspectives, Philippe Kirsch Q.C.
The International Criminal Court: Current Issues And Perspectives, Philippe Kirsch Q.C.
Law and Contemporary Problems
The creation of a permanent international criminal court (ICC) has been seen as a desirable objective for a long time, but its implementation is hampered by controversy. Proponents of the court believe that the ICC has great potential to render justice in cases of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, and to deter the future perpetration of those crimes. Skeptics question the wisdom of placing the power to adjudicate highly politically charged cases into the hands of an international tribunal.
The Icc’S Jurisdiction Over The Nationals Of Non-Party States: A Critique Of The U.S. Position, Michael P. Scharf
The Icc’S Jurisdiction Over The Nationals Of Non-Party States: A Critique Of The U.S. Position, Michael P. Scharf
Law and Contemporary Problems
Scharf analyzes the validity of the US argument against the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction over the national of non-party states in the context of historic precedent and the principles underlying international criminal jurisdiction, and demonstrates that it is not the jurisdiction of the ICC over the nationals of nonparty states, but the US government's legal argument, which rests on shaky foundations. He also highlights the potential unintended repercussions of the current US legal position.
The International Criminal Court: Possibilities For Prosecutorial Abuse, Alfred P. Rubin
The International Criminal Court: Possibilities For Prosecutorial Abuse, Alfred P. Rubin
Law and Contemporary Problems
The attempt to create an international criminal court assumes that in all important ways the international legal order is similar to the municipal legal orders with which US citizens are familiar, but with regard to the criminal law, that assumption is simply not true. Rubin discusses two potential fundamental discrepancies between the international legal order and an hypothesized "typical" municipal legal order as would exist under the current statute for the International Criminal Court.
Toward U.S. Acceptance Of The International Criminal Court, Bruce Broomhall
Toward U.S. Acceptance Of The International Criminal Court, Bruce Broomhall
Law and Contemporary Problems
The US would be undermining its own interests by insisting on insulation of its personnel as the price for its toleration or support for the International Criminal Court. Broomhall argues that the US ought, in its own interest, to lay the foundations for eventually supporting the ICC, notwithstanding the potential (albeit remote) risk of investigation of its nationals.
Decline Of The “Little Parliament”: Juries And Jury Reform In England And Wales, Sally Lloyd-Bostock, Cheryl Thomas
Decline Of The “Little Parliament”: Juries And Jury Reform In England And Wales, Sally Lloyd-Bostock, Cheryl Thomas
Law and Contemporary Problems
Lloyd-Bostock and Thomas take a historical look at the English jury and place the jury and jury reform in the context of the English legal and political system.
The New Zealand Jury, Neil Cameron, Susan Potter, Warren Young
The New Zealand Jury, Neil Cameron, Susan Potter, Warren Young
Law and Contemporary Problems
In New Zealand, the recent history of the jury has been one of fairly steady decline. This is particularly so of the civil jury, which has become virtually extinct with little realistic prospect of revival.
The American Criminal Jury, Nancy Jean King
The American Criminal Jury, Nancy Jean King
Law and Contemporary Problems
King describes the American criminal jury, focusing on those aspects of the institution that distinguish it from juries in other parts of the world.
Racial Disparity And The Death Penalty, John C. Mcadams
Racial Disparity And The Death Penalty, John C. Mcadams
Law and Contemporary Problems
McAdams examines the rhetoric and data supporting the "mass market" version of the racial disparity thesis. The system is racist in that it punishes those who kill whites more severely than those who kill blacks.
Lost Lives: Miscarriages Of Justice In Capital Cases, Samuel R. Gross
Lost Lives: Miscarriages Of Justice In Capital Cases, Samuel R. Gross
Law and Contemporary Problems
Gross discusses the incidence of erroneous convictions for capital murder, which are systematic consequences of the natuere of homicide prosection in general and capital prosecution in particular.
The Quality Of Justice In Capital Cases: Illinois As A Case Study, Leigh B. Bienen
The Quality Of Justice In Capital Cases: Illinois As A Case Study, Leigh B. Bienen
Law and Contemporary Problems
Bienen uses Illinois as a case study of injustice in capital cases. The quality of justice in the trial and appeal of capital cases in Illinois is of a very low standard.
Federal Defender Services: Serving The System Or The Client, John J. Cleary
Federal Defender Services: Serving The System Or The Client, John J. Cleary
Law and Contemporary Problems
Cleary discusses how defense services should be provided. He reviews the evolution of the right to effective assistance of counsel and the advent of compensated defense services and suggests reforms.
The Unworthy Victim: Police Discretion In The Credibility Call, H. Richard Uviller
The Unworthy Victim: Police Discretion In The Credibility Call, H. Richard Uviller
Law and Contemporary Problems
No abstract provided.