Culpability Attributions towards Juvenile Female Prostitutes

This study addresses a gap in the research literature concerning predictors of culpability attributions towards juvenile female prostitutes (JFPs). Three hundred undergraduate participants read a vignette describing a JFP and responded to a series of measures. Results supported a causal pathway whereby stronger perceiver sexism predicted stronger negative affective evaluations of, and weaker empathic reactions toward, the JFP. Stronger negative affective evaluations and weaker empathic reactions, in turn, predicted stronger culpability attributions toward the JFP. Also, participants who were provided information about the JFP's extensive victimisation history and coercion into the trade, relative to participants who were not provided this information, attributed lesser culpability to the JFP. Finally, stronger culpability attributions toward the JFP related to weaker recommendations of restorative justice (i.e. counselling/mental health services for the JFP) and stronger recommendations of retributive justice (i.e. incarceration for the JFP). Study implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Key Practitioner Message

• Stronger perceiver sexism predicts stronger negative evaluations of, and weaker empathic reactions towards a juvenile female “prostitute.”
• Stronger negative evaluations of, and weaker empathic reactions towards a girl in the sex trade in turn predict stronger culpability attributions towards her.
• Provision of information about a prostituted youth's victimisation history and coercion into prostitution mitigates culpability attributions toward her.
• Public education that highlights juvenile prostitution as a form of child sexual exploitation may be critically important to minimising punitive social cognitions about survivors of the commercial sex trade.

     

Threads across the world: sewing resilience into the fabric of children’s lives

Strengthening the ecological resilience factors in the lives of children that have been abused can help them to navigate the healing process. It is through group work that children can share their “resilience wisdom” with one another as a healing community. There is a dearth of research on cross-cultural resilience programs for children who have been abused. This article explores a group work program that was conducted for one year in Bolivia and Australia. The results from each group reveal the similarities and the differences in outcomes between children from different cultural backgrounds that participated in a resilience group work program.     

论配偶暴力中受虐妇女杀夫案的量刑

因不堪忍受配偶暴力而杀害施暴人是大部分女性犯罪的原因。根据调查,对受虐杀夫妇女基本上适用故意杀人罪的第一法定刑幅度,学者普遍认为量刑过重并提出各种解决建议。在促进立法的同时,我们更应重视科学量刑,依据《人民法院量刑指导意见（试行）》和宽严相济的刑事政策,充分考虑被害人过错、犯罪动机和被害人家属谅解等酌定量刑情节,对受虐杀夫妇女从宽量刑。     

“天使”与“女巫“同样的归宿——重谈简·爱与伯莎

简·爱与伯莎这两个人物形象,自诞生后被视为两种针锋相对的价值取向。然而,随着社会和文学批评的发展,人们对这两个人物形象产生了新的反响。她们都是男性压迫的反抗者,又同是男权主义的牺牲品,其命运归宿是一致的。     

当前反恐中的证人和被害人保护研究

当前的暴力恐怖犯罪呈现的一个新特点,是其将侵害的矛头直接指向无辜群众。在依法惩治暴力恐怖犯罪分子过程中,对相关证人和被害人的有效保护不仅有助于反恐诉讼的处理,更能从国家关怀的角度体现反恐的决心。各国的反恐立法和实践对证人和被害人的保护注意了诉讼内外的区分,注意发挥国家的主体责任,构建多元化保护体系。在保护机制创新、保护经费投入、作证机制改革方面予以科学考虑。中国反恐中的证人和被害人保护应当纳入诉讼整体进行谋划,通过专门立法机制的完善和机构设置,提升保护水平,在确保有效保护的前提下发挥二者的诉讼功能。     

论被害人合法权益保障中存在的问题、原因及对策

我国刑事诉讼法规定了被害人一系列的诉讼权利,然而,司法实践中被害人的这些程序上的权利被有意或无意地限制或剥夺,因此,必须分析存在这些问题的原因,并提出一些相应的对策.     

变性手术的法律分析

一般认为,变性手术是易性癖的治疗手段,但因我国法律无相应规定,目前该领域呈无序状态,既不利于患者权益的保护,更造成某些法律关系的混乱。以刑法理论而言,作为易性癖治疗手段的变性手术是应当予以承认的,但对易性癖之外的、非病态而仅是有变性意向者实施变性手术是违法的,无法构成刑法意义上的"被害人承诺"和"医疗行为",应当予以禁止。     

也谈我国公诉案件中被害人的权利问题

我国现行刑事诉讼法赋予公诉案件被害人以当事人的法律地位并规定了一系列诉讼权利,但总体看,被害人所享有的诉讼权利不仅与同为诉讼当事方的被告人相比显得薄弱,而且与其当事人的法律地位也不匹配。被害人并不是完全意义上的当事人,不享有完整的当事人的诉讼权利。     

论刑事被害人国家补偿制度

在刑事案件发生后,被害人因遭受犯罪行为侵害,从犯罪人那里得不到赔偿或不能得到充分赔偿时,被害人的合法权益将难以得到有效保障。文章从国际条约和国外有关刑事被害人国家补偿的规定,理论依据及其评价,刑事诉讼价值方面进行了论述。并在此基础上借鉴国外先进立法经验并结合我国国情的实际,提出了建立我国刑事被害人国家补偿制度的初步构想。     

都市佛教文化功能的现代转型与当代价值

史实证明,中国古代都市佛教不仅是佛教徒的信仰活动场所,同时也是重要的文化传播中心,并在一定意义上成为古代市民文化生活的公共空间.近代以来,在现代性的背景下,都市佛教的文化功能在其内容与特点上都已发生了显著变化.尽管如此,依托佛教的独特智慧,挖掘佛教中种种有益于现代人的精神文化食粮,发挥当代都市佛教文化的积极诊疗功能,仍将有助于现代都市人的生活引导、伦理建构、心灵净化与精神提升,从而促进社会与人自身的和谐发展.