Situational Crime Prevention and its Discontents: Rational Choice Theory versus the 'Culture of Now'

The rational choice theory of crime and its cognate field of study, situational crime prevention, have exerted a considerable influence in criminal justice policy and criminology. This article argues that, while undeniably useful as a means of reducing property or acquisitive crime, rational choice‐inspired situational crime prevention initiatives are limited when it comes to offering protection against a growing number of so‐called ‘expressive crimes’. Developing this critique, the article will criticize the sociologically hollow narrative associated with rational choice theories of crime by drawing on recent research in social theory and consumer studies. It argues that the growing tendency among many young individuals to engage in certain forms of criminal decision‐making ‘strategies’ may simply be the by‐product of a series of subjectivities and emotions that reflect the material values and cultural logic associated with late modern consumerism.     

金融诈骗罪主观要件探析

金融诈骗罪破坏国家金融管理秩序,侵犯财产所有权。其犯罪构成与刑法规定的其他犯罪一样,必须同时具备犯罪客体、客观、主体、主观四个要件。金融诈骗罪的行为人主观上是否必须具备“非法占有目的”以及金融诈骗罪的主观罪过形式是认定此类犯罪必须正确把握的问题。“非法占有目的”是所有金融诈骗罪必备的主观要件,而不是选择要件。金融诈骗罪行为人的主观罪过形式只能是直接故意,不能是过失,也不能是间接故意。     

A Response to Farrell

This article responds directly to an article published in this journal in February 2010 by Graham Farrell entitled ‘Situational crime prevention and its discontents: rational choice and harm reduction versus “cultural criminology” ’. (Farrell's article, in turn, was a rejoinder to my original 2007 article ‘Situational crime prevention and its discontents: rational choice theory versus the “culture of now” ’). In his article, Farrell sets out a case for the role of ‘harm reduction’ and rational choice theory as tools to reduce the contemporary crime problem, concluding that ‘Cultural criminology seems to offer little, if anything, useful to inform crime reduction efforts’. This article rejects this statement and offers a counter critique of the instrumental approach promoted by Farrell. Importantly, this response article is not intended as an outright critique of situational crime prevention per se, rather it is an assessment of Farrell's specific critical logic and the various shortcomings associated with his argument.     

Problems with the theory of anti-value acts： including a discussion with professor Zhou Guangquan

行为无价值论与结果无价值论的争论具有重要意义。行为无价值论的主要缺陷在于：强调犯罪的规范违反性，与保护法益的刑法目的相冲突；突出刑法的行为规制机能，偏离了罪刑法定主义的实质；普遍承认主观的违法要素，导致认定犯罪的整体性，既混淆了违法性与有责性，也不利于区分未遂犯与不能犯，且不利于贯彻共犯从属性说；注重主观的正当化要素，不仅未能限制刑罚适用，反而扩大了处罚范围；采取规则功利主义，导致过度干预国民的行为。结果无价值论在防止过度干预、采取自由主义原则的同时，将违反刑法目的的事态作为禁止的对象，不仅能够克服行为无价值论的缺陷，而且可以在实现报应正义的同时，实现特殊预防与一般预防。     

Sleep Safely: Crime Risks May Be Smaller than you Think

Recent events of extreme violence against members of the public such as the Dunblane killings have heightened both media and public perceptions of crime risks. This paper draws upon existing and ongoing research to review how risks are perceived, and the possible role such perceptions may play in the crime risks debate. In particular, are the processes by which we perceive risk and danger prone to exaggeration, and if so, what effect might such exaggerations have upon the formulation and implementation of policies aimed at dealing with crime risks? The impact of such policies upon one section of the criminal justice system, the Probation Service, is considered along with responses that officers and managers in the Probation Service are making to the new imperative to identify and effectively manage offender risks.     

论我国刑法司法解释的不足与完善

刑法司法解释在弥补我国刑法立法的不足、保持刑法的稳定、克服刑法规范的抽象性等方面发挥了巨大的作用。但我国现行的刑法司法解释违背罪刑法定原则,立法化、抽象化的现象十分严重。同时,刑法司法解释之间、刑法司法解释与我国刑法理论的通说之间存在着明显的冲突。部分刑法司法解释的方法也存在严重的不足。因此,司法机关对刑法进行司法解释必须遵循罪刑法定原则、合理性原则、明确性原则。     

PRECARIOUS PERSONS: DISENFRANCHISING AUSTRALIAN PRISONERS

In 1998 the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters produced a report which, among other things, recommended that all prisoners be deprived of their voting rights in federal elections. The proposal was intended to have a ‘deterrent effect’, the reasoning being that the loss of a fundamental civil right would provide an effective disincentive to crime. Apart from having little, if any. deterrent value, the proposal is difficult 10 defend within the prevailing frameworks of liberal democracy, International law, and current thinking on criminology and penology. Rather, the aim of prisoner disenfranchisement is to visit dishonour upon the subject, a practice having its origins in the archaic concept of ‘civil death ‘. The ‘reform ‘ is an eloquent symbol of a final disengagement from incarcerated people and a formal ratification of their status as non‐persons.     

论挪用公款罪中的使用问题

挪用公款罪是刑法理论和社会实践结合的产物,随着社会的不断发展进步,愈加呈现多样性和复杂性。挪用公款罪归个人使用固然是挪用公款罪客观方面的一个必要条件,但对于何谓"使用"公款及选择何种路径分析挪用公款罪中的"使用",理论界尚缺论证。法律是以语言为载体的,法律解释主要采用的是语言分析的方法,运用语言分析的方法对挪用公款罪中的"使用"一词进行阐释和剖析,既保证了刑法解释体系中文义解释的最高位阶地位,又能正确地探求法律意旨。"使用"作为挪用公款罪法律规范中的基本要素和细胞,应界定为"交换",既包括价值方面的交换,也包括符号方面的交换。用"交换"来表达挪用公款罪中的"使用",符合刑法规范科学性、合理性、谦抑性的要求,同时也使规范用语的边缘扩展变得明晰。     

毒品犯罪的社会诱因与心理动因分析

我国身处世界两大毒源地包围之中,近年来已经从毒品犯罪的"受害国"发展到"受害国与输出国兼具"的毒品犯罪重灾区。传统的制毒和贩毒犯罪尚未得到有效控制,以化学方法提炼为主导的新型毒品犯罪接踵而至。文化变迁与亚文化传播诱发演艺圈涉毒违法和涉毒犯罪频发,并且在青少年群体中形成严重的负面"模仿"和"从众"心理效应。以犯罪学和心理学的视角透视毒品犯罪的社会诱因和心理动因,可以突破传统"堵源截流"的预防方法,为控制和减少毒品犯罪提供行之有效的对策:重视新型毒品犯罪理论研究和刑事立法工作,适时排除司法环节上的障碍;继续加强国际禁毒合作,有效遏制毒源向境内渗透;全面加强毒品犯罪的社会防控,将毒品犯罪扼杀在萌生状态。     

市民化对新生代农民工犯罪的抑制效应分析

城镇化进程中,农民工犯罪活动增多趋势应该引起足够重视。农民工市民化进程缓慢、市民化程度低是导致部分社会成员犯罪的重要影响因素。在对已有研究成果梳理荟萃的基础上,基于农民工市民化的价值论,探讨了市民化抑制新生代农民工犯罪的内在机理。为市民化创造文化和制度方面的有利条件、培养新生代农民工市民素质和市民化能力、提升市民化水平、推进市民化进程,将可以显著遏制农民工的违法犯罪行为。     

On Being Unemployed and Being a Victim of Crime—A Commentary

In a paper illustrating the shifting ground of Australian criminological debate Braithwaite and Biles claim the results of the National Crime Victim Survey (showing the unemployed have higher victimization rates for certain crimes: breaking and entering, peeping and assault, than ‘the wealthy’ or ‘the poor’) amount to a refutation of ‘a long tradition of radical criminology’. This tradition is portrayed as ‘crime is a manifestation of working class rebellion against the ruling class’. It is argued that this belated entry into confrontation with marxist oriented radical criminology, evaded for so long, is to be welcomed. However certain formal requirements: properly reading, representing, documenting and referencing ‘the radical critique’ are essential for theoretical advance. On these criteria the Braithwaite and Biles paper is deficient and distorted. The results of the victimization survey bolster rather than deny adequately represented radical critiques.     

我国矿产资源刑事立法问题探析

加强立法,对保障矿产资源合理开发、有序利用具有重要意义。当前,我国矿产资源法律制度不尽完善,特别是刑事法律比较弱化,对国家行政机关和工作人员违法发放采矿许可证、矿主肆意浪费资源和污染环境、官商勾结和监察失职等行为难究其责,使私开滥采、资源浪费、环境破坏和矿难频发等矿产资源刑事违法犯罪问题突出,严重危及国家财产和人民生命安全,影响经济社会健康发展。因此,从增设罪名、加重刑罚和创新量刑制度等方面完善我国矿产资源刑法保护措施,势在必行。     

重塑商业反腐败之刑法规制(英文)

商业贿赂在中国的公职腐败案件中占有较大比重,必将成为当前和今后反腐败的重心。为了更好实现对公共权力约束的目的,应当结合商业贿赂犯罪的特点和新表现,对中国刑法的反腐败罪名的构罪标准、具体评价尺度等微观内容进行调整,以更有效打击商业贿赂犯罪。     

疑罪赔偿实现正义的困境

疑罪案件是存在罪案事实,但犯罪嫌疑人的犯罪事实不清、证据不足,其案处于不能证实,也不能证伪状态,在法律上被推定为无罪人的案件。一般表现为撤销案件、不起诉、无罪判决、疑罪从挂等情况。疑罪案件赔与不赔,处于两难,可能还与责任追究挂钩,因此,在我国一直饱受争议。我国的国家赔偿法适用违法与结果的多元归责,实行利于犯罪嫌疑人的赔偿程序,"疑罪从挂"也可获得赔偿,我国正在形成提高侦办质量的倒逼机制。但疑罪案件不可避免,要减少它难,判无罪者则易。疑罪赔偿实现正义具有悖论,其机制是否适度,还需接受实践检验。     

Creating a Safer Society

In some fields of policy Britain tends to follow the Americans. Will crime prove to be one of them? This chapter begins with an exploration of the sources of American influence, and an account of the disastrous course their penal policies have taken. Thereafter attention focuses on the United Kingdom. It is argued that public concern about crime must be taken seriously. Some have called for a “remoralization” of the debate—more “condemnation”, less “understanding”. But if our aim is to reduce crime, its economic and social context must first be understood; then changed. Delinquency is only one of several responses which people may make to prolonged hardship and frustration; and not necessarily the most destructive. Drawing on experience in many parts of the country, a programme of action to improve people’s safety is proposed. Starting with procedures for consulting and involving people—including those who appear to be the source of trouble—a local strategy is outlined to improve opportunities for making an honest living, to stabilize and strengthen communities, to provide better support for the victims of crime and for the most vulnerable families, and better opportunities for ex-offenders. Police and penal services have an important job to do as mobilizers and managers of a society’s responses to crime. But, in a country where only 3 per cent of offences lead to a conviction in court, these services cannot do much to prevent it.     

大陆法系共犯种类之比较

对我国及大陆法系主要国家刑法典及刑法理论中共犯的分类进行了比较。笔者认为,可以把俄罗斯刑法采用的标准与我国大陆刑法采用的标准结合起来,认定共同犯罪并对犯罪人作出罪责刑相适应的处罚。同时认为,我国大陆刑法采用的标准,虽然在实践中用起来比较容易与犯罪人的刑事责任挂起钩来,但逻辑上存在双重标准问题。此外,对间接正犯理论进行了比较,认为间接正犯实质上是单个人的犯罪,不应当在共同犯罪中讨论。     

Legislation on the New Types of Cybercrime and Its Application

The new types of cybercrime have different features from traditional “cumulative crimes.” The application of the relevant provisions of the Criminal Law has run into difficulties, and the relevant theoretical explanations of substantive preparatory crime and being an accomplice in crime find it hard to achieve self-consistency. Legislation on the new types of cybercrime is a legitimate response to recent changes in this area. Utilizing the particular techniques of cybercrime and the circumstantial requirement of limiting the amount of criminal harm is the key to satisfying the conditions for offences warranting criminal punishment. The harmfulness of the new types of cybercrime is not great; the law’s circumstantial requirements are flexible, and the criteria for judicial application are unclear, so the law’s provisions are seldom invoked and the sphere of criminal activity is unduly expanded. In order to give full play to the effectiveness of this legislation, we should formulate reasonable judicial rules that accord with the constitution of cybercrimes, narrow down the constituent elements of such crimes in a reasonable way, and categorize and limit the interpretation of circumstantial requirements.     

内幕交易罪之规范理论的比较研究——以美、日与中国台湾地区为对象

由于内幕交易行为在外观上与一般的证券买卖交易并无不同,但刑法上却将内幕交易行为当作犯罪来处罚,所以对于其刑事规范理论的依据何在值得探讨。但是因为内幕交易具有内部性,对于内幕人员获知与利用内幕信息的内幕交易行为,在区别究竟属于合法的证券投资与违法的内幕交易时就产生了难点。因此有必要借鉴美、日与中国台湾地区等关于内幕交易罪的刑事规制经验,从立法与司法实践方面来探讨内幕交易罪的刑事规范理论基础,以澄清内幕人员与内幕信息的规制范围与犯罪构成特征。     

Understanding the Harm of Hate Crime

This article provides an overview of the context and content of this issue devoted to hate crime. Working definitions of hate crime and hate speech are situated within the broader context of intergroup relations, prejudice, aggression, and law and social policy. Theory and research from social psychology, criminology, and legal studies are utilized to describe this context. We present summaries of the multidisciplinary contributions to this issue and note how these articles emphasize the origins of hate crime, the harm that it creates, and victims' and society's response to hate crime. They also highlight tensions between the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Finally, we note the interrelationships among these contributions and discuss the policy implications that arise from their analyses.     

挪用公款罪若干问题探讨

挪用公款罪是司法实践中多发的犯罪。它不仅侵犯国家工作人员的职务廉洁性 ,而且也侵犯公共财产的占有权、使用权、收益权。正确认定挪用公款罪的犯罪客体和犯罪对象、犯罪主体、犯罪客观要件以及共同犯罪等问题 ,可以准确区分挪用公款罪与非罪、此罪与彼罪的界限 ,更好地运用刑事法律打击挪用公款犯罪 ,保护国有财产不受非法侵犯。