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A Safety Doctrine To The Criminal Justice System, Boaz Sangero, Mordechai Halpert
A Safety Doctrine To The Criminal Justice System, Boaz Sangero, Mordechai Halpert
Prof. Boaz Sangero
Criminal law, unlike other risk-creating fields, currently lacks any modern safety doctrine. In light of the proven phenomenon of wrongful convictions and the severe harm it causes to both those wrongly convicted and society, this Essay focuses on the necessary preliminary stages in developing a safety doctrine for the criminal justice system. Under our conception, criminal law is a "safety-critical system": it deals with matters of life and death. We view false conviction to be a type of accident, similarly to a crash of a fighter airplane. This comparison is not only metaphorical, but quite literal when the damage is …
Proposal To Reverse The View Of A Confession: From Key Evidence Requiring Corroboration To Corroboration For Key Evidence, Boaz Sangero, Mordechai Halpert
Proposal To Reverse The View Of A Confession: From Key Evidence Requiring Corroboration To Corroboration For Key Evidence, Boaz Sangero, Mordechai Halpert
Prof. Boaz Sangero
Both case law and legal literature have recognized that all, and not just clearly statistical, evidence is probabilistic. Therefore, we have much to learn from the laws of probability with regard to the evaluation of evidence in a criminal trial. The present article focuses on the confession. First, we review legal and psychological literature and show that the probability of a false confession and, consequently, a wrongful conviction is far from insignificant. In light of this, we warn against the cognitive illusion, stemming from the fallacy of the transposed conditional, which is liable to mislead the trier of fact in …
Proposal To Reverse The View Of A Confession: From Key Evidence Requiring Corroboration To Corroboration For Key Evidence, Boaz Sangero, Mordechai Halpert
Proposal To Reverse The View Of A Confession: From Key Evidence Requiring Corroboration To Corroboration For Key Evidence, Boaz Sangero, Mordechai Halpert
Prof. Boaz Sangero
Both case law and legal literature have recognized that all, and not just clearly statistical, evidence is probabilistic. Therefore, we have much to learn from the laws of probability with regard to the evaluation of evidence in a criminal trial. The present article focuses on the confession. First, we review legal and psychological literature and show that the probability of a false confession and, consequently, a wrongful conviction is far from insignificant. In light of this, we warn against the cognitive illusion, stemming from the fallacy of the transposed conditional, which is liable to mislead the trier of fact in …
Heller's Self-Defense, Boaz Sangero
Heller's Self-Defense, Boaz Sangero
Prof. Boaz Sangero
This article reflects on District of Columbia v. Heller and proposes a new footing and limit to the right to bear arms: a person’s inalienable right to selfdefense. Self-defense is a natural right embedded in personhood and is antecedent to the social contract that sets up a state. This right consequently remains with the person following the establishment of the state and allows her to use proportional force necessary for resisting aggression. The right to bear arms derives from the constitutional right to self-defense, which merits protection under both the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments. This instrumental nexus calls for a …
In Defense Of "Self-Defence In Criminal Law"; And On "Killing In Self-Defence" - A Reply To Fiona Leverick, Boaz Sangero
In Defense Of "Self-Defence In Criminal Law"; And On "Killing In Self-Defence" - A Reply To Fiona Leverick, Boaz Sangero
Prof. Boaz Sangero
Recently, Fiona Leverick published a review of my book, Self-Defence in Criminal Law. In the same year that my book was released, Leverick published her own monograph on this subject, Killing in Self-Defence. We basically take two different approaches to the subject of self-defense. One approach seeks only “permission” for killing and views the right to life as a sufficient rationale. The other approach seeks a justification for self-defense and proposes a more complex rationale suited to all cases of self-defense and not just the extreme situation of a life versus a life. This rationale is based on three main …
From A Plane Crash To The Conviction Of An Innocent Person: A Call On Lawmakers To Establish That Forensic Evidence Is Inadmissible Unless Forensic Equipment Is Developed As A Safety-Critical System, Dr. Boaz Sangero, Dr. Mordechai Halpert
From A Plane Crash To The Conviction Of An Innocent Person: A Call On Lawmakers To Establish That Forensic Evidence Is Inadmissible Unless Forensic Equipment Is Developed As A Safety-Critical System, Dr. Boaz Sangero, Dr. Mordechai Halpert
Prof. Boaz Sangero
According to existing law, a criminal conviction may be based on a single piece of scientific (forensic) evidence. Thus, for example, a DNA match could, on its own, lead to a conviction and a prolonged term of imprisonment, or even a death sentence. A testing error might result in the conviction of an innocent person. Therefore, the state has a duty to ensure that such evidence is as reliable as possible. This article protests an inconceivable situation: that the development of forensic equipment, which is designed to produce evidence that can be relied on in a criminal trial, is not …
Miranda Is Not Enough: A New Justification For Demanding "Strong Corroboration" To A Confession, Boaz Sangero
Miranda Is Not Enough: A New Justification For Demanding "Strong Corroboration" To A Confession, Boaz Sangero
Prof. Boaz Sangero
Following research conducted in recent years—some of it regarding evidence obtained through DNA testing—no doubt remains that, in reality, innocent persons are convicted of crimes and that, in a significant number of these cases, wrongful convictions are solely based on the out-of-court confessions of accused persons obtained by police interrogators.This Article discusses existing law regarding confessions and convictions based on confessions. While this body of law deals in a relatively satisfactory manner with the fear that the confession is involuntary (primarily, through Miranda rules), unfortunately, it does not adequately address the serious fear of false confessions.The Article is designed to …
Why A Conviction Should Not Be Based On A Single Piece Of Evidence: A Proposal For Reform, Boaz Sangero, Mordechai Halpert
Why A Conviction Should Not Be Based On A Single Piece Of Evidence: A Proposal For Reform, Boaz Sangero, Mordechai Halpert
Prof. Boaz Sangero
This article illustrates a serious flaw in the conventional legal approach enabling a conviction based solely on one piece of evidence. This flaw derives from a cognitive illusion referred to as “the fallacy of the transposed conditional.” People might assume a low error rate in evidence only leads to a small percentage of wrongful convictions. We show that, counterintuitively, even a very low error rate might lead to a wrongful conviction in most cases where the conviction is based on a single piece of evidence. Case law has indicated some awareness of this fallacy, primarily when considering the random match …
Are All Forms Of Joint Crime Really "Organized Crime"?, Boaz Sangero
Are All Forms Of Joint Crime Really "Organized Crime"?, Boaz Sangero
Prof. Boaz Sangero
It is seemingly possible to think that the new Israeli Combating Criminal Organizations Law, 2003 is a desirable statute. After all – how many struggles are more justified than the fight against organized crime? This Article will demonstrate that, in view of the extensive and comprehensive legislation already existing in Israel prior to the enactment of the new law, there was no need at all for an additional statute. Furthermore, it will show that the excessively broad definition given to the term “criminal organization” is liable to dominate Israeli criminal law and make the already draconian penal code – which …
Self-Defence In Criminal Law, Boaz Sangero
Self-Defence In Criminal Law, Boaz Sangero
Prof. Boaz Sangero
Self-Defence in Criminal Law - book reviews: (1) Boaz Sangero's project and ambition – in which he largely succeeds – is to provide a doctrinally sound framework for the analysis and critique of self defence as it operates in a variety of legal systems. His methodology is a mixture of inductive and deductive strategies.…Sangero has valuable thoughts to offer, and the analytical strength of his framework is powerfully demonstrated throughout…the reader who seeks answers to the more fundamental questions raised by Leverick [Killing in Self-Defence, OUP] at the start of her work had better turn to Sangero's book to find …
A New Defense For Self-Defense, Boaz Sangero
A New Defense For Self-Defense, Boaz Sangero
Prof. Boaz Sangero
Private defense, like self-defense, has been virtually undisputed both in the past and present and even taken for granted, and perhaps particularly for this reason, sufficient attention has not always been given to the rationale underlying private defense. As a result, the legal arrangements set for private defense in the different legal systems are deficient, inconsistent, and, at times, replete with internal contradictions. This Article seeks to propose a sound rationale for the concept of private defense. It begins by attempting to clearly and precisely delineate the scope of the defense and weed out cases that are occasionally (and, I …