美国未成年人案件保密性原则及其松动

美国未成年人案件保密性原则在司法实践中比较复杂。基于"双轨制"现实,未成年人身份过错、偏差及轻微犯罪案件通常由少年法院审理;而对于较严重的未成年人刑事案件,则会移送至刑事(成人)法院审理。对于后者,因其刑事性质,被移送受审的未成年人将被视为成年人受审,其案件庭审及记录除特殊情形外原则上不予保密。而对于前者,此类案件大体上适用保密性原则。不过随着对儿童利益最佳原则及防卫社会的双向反思,对在少年司法体系内的较严重犯罪案件与虐待、遗弃及照管不良等案件,少年法院保密性原则亦有较大松动。

Confidentiality and Evolutions in American Juvenile Cases

Overall, the principles of confidentiality in American juvenile cases are relatively complicated. Based on a two-pronged reality, juvenile status offense, delinquency and minor crimes are usually handled by the juvenile court; while for the more serious juvenile criminal cases, the offenders could be transferred to criminal （adult） court. For the latter, because of its criminal nature, the transferred juveniles will be tried as adults, and except in special circumstances, in principle, the juvenile proceedings and records will not be made confidential. For the former, confidentiality principles generally apply in such cases. However, as the bi-directional reflections of the principles of the best interests of the child and the community protection, the principles of confidentiality seem not to be kept as tight as before in certain serious criminal cases and cases involving abuse, abandonment and neglect.