Jury decision making and the Story Model: How do deliberation style and evidence order influence the story that juries create?

This study investigated the utility of the Story Model for decision making at the jury level by examining the influence of evidence order and deliberation style on story consistency and guilt. Participants were shown a video-taped trial stimulus and then provided case perceptions including a guilt judgment and a narrative about what occurred during the incident. Participants then deliberated for approximately thirty minutes using either an evidence-driven or verdict-driven deliberation style before again providing case perceptions, including a guilt determination, a narrative about what happened during the incident, and an evidence recognition test. Multi-level regression analyses revealed that evidence order, deliberation style and sample interacted to influence both story consistency measures and guilt. Among students, participants in the verdict-driven deliberation condition formed more consistent pro-prosecution stories when the prosecution presented their case in story-order, while participants in the evidence-driven deliberation condition formed more consistent pro-prosecution stories when the defense's case was presented in story-order. Findings were the opposite among community members, with participants in the verdict-driven deliberation condition forming more consistent pro-prosecution stories when the defense's case was presented in story-order, and participants in the evidence-driven deliberation condition forming more consistent pro-prosecution stories when the prosecution's case was presented in story-order. Additionally several story consistency measures influenced guilt decisions. Thus there is some support for the hypothesis that story consistency mediates the influence of evidence order and deliberation style on guilt decisions.

Pirates, exiles, and empire: English seamen, Atlantic expansion, and Jamaican settlement, 1558–1658

A life of piracy offered marginal men a profession with a degree of autonomy, despite the brand of "outlaw" and the fear of prosecution. At various times throughout history, governments and crowned heads suspended much of their piracy prosecution, licensing men to work as "privateers" for the state, supplementing naval forces. This practice has a long history, but in sixteenth-century England, Elizabeth I (1558-1603) significantly altered this tradition. Recognizing her own weakness in effectively prosecuting these men and the profit they could contribute to the government, Elizabeth began incorporating pirates into the English naval corps in peacetime—not just in war. This practice increased English naval resources, income, and presence in the emerging Atlantic World, but also increased conflict with the powerful Spanish empire. By 1605, making peace with Spain, James VI/I (1603-1625) retracted Elizabeth's privateering promotion, prompting an emigration of English seamen to the American outposts they had developed in the previous century. Now exiles, no longer beholden to the Crown, seamen reverted back to piracy. The Carolinas and Jamaica served as bases for these rover communities. In 1650, the revolutionary leader Oliver Cromwell (1649-1658) once again recognized the merits of such policies. Determined to demonstrate his authority and solidify his rule, Cromwell offered citizenship and state support to Caribbean exiles in exchange for their aiding of his navy in the taking of Spanish Jamaica. Official chartering of Port Royal, Jamaica served as reward for these men's efforts and as the culmination of a century-long cycle of piracy legislation, creating one of England's most lucrative colonies in the middle of a traditionally Spanish Caribbean empire. Through legal and diplomatic records, correspondence, and naval and demographic records from England and Spain, this dissertation explores early modern piracy/privateering policy and its impact on the development of the Atlantic World. European disputes and imperial competition converged in these piracy debates with significant consequences for the definitions of criminality and citizenship and for the development of Atlantic empire.

The differential effects of *American and British trial proceedings on juror decision-making

Seven basic elements differentiate British from American trial procedures: confining attorneys to their tables; dealing with objections outside the presence of the jury; resolving disagreements between attorneys prior to objections being made; presenting the defense opening statement at the close of the prosecution case; the judge directly questions witnesses and has a wider latitude in controlling the evidence; and the judge gives a summation of all the evidence presented to the jury (Fulero & Turner, 1997). The present experiment examined the influence of these different courtroom procedures, judges' non-verbal behavior, and evidence strength on juror decision-making. Using models of persuasion to understand how the varying elements may effect juror decision-making, it was predicted that trials following American courtroom procedures would be more distracting for jurors and as such, they would be more likely to rely on the peripheral cue of the judge's expectations for trial outcome as expressed in his nonverbal behavior. In trials following British procedures jurors should be less distracted and better able to scrutinize the strength of the evidence that in turn should minimize the influence of the judge's nonverbal behavior. Two hundred forty-five participants viewed a mock civil trial in which courtroom procedure, judge's nonverbal behavior, and evidence strength were varied. Analyses suggest that courtroom procedure and evidence strength influenced the direction of participants' verdicts, but that judge's nonverbal behavior did not have a direct impact on verdict preference. Judge's nonverbal behavior appeared to influence other measures related to verdict. Participants were more confident in their verdicts when they agreed with judge's nonverbal behavior and when they viewed British courtroom procedures. Participants were more likely to return estimates of the defendant's liability that reflected judge's nonverbal behavior and a congruency with evidence strength. Participants also recalled more facts in the British conditions than in the American conditions. These findings are interpreted as indicating the importance of the impact of trial procedures and of nonverbal influence. ^

Perceptions of alibi evidence as a function of the strength of incriminating *evidence

The current study investigated the exculpatory value of alibi evidence when presented together with various types of incriminating evidence. Previous research has reported that alibi evidence could weaken the effects of DNA evidence and eyewitness identification. The present study assessed the effectiveness of alibi evidence in counteracting defendant's confession (experiment 1) and eyewitness evidence (experiment 2). In experiment 1, three levels of alibi evidence (none, weak, strong) were combined with three levels of confession evidence (voluntary, elicited under low pressure, elicited under high pressure). Results indicated significant main effects of confession and alibi and an alibi by confession interaction. Of participants exposed to high-pressure confession, those in the strong alibi condition rendered lower guilt estimates than those in the no alibi condition. In experiment 2, three levels of alibi were combined with two levels of eyewitness evidence (bad view, good view). A main effect of alibi was obtained, but no interaction between alibi and eyewitness evidence. ^ An explanation of this pattern is based in part on the Story Model (Pennington & Hastie, 1992) and a novel “culpability threshold” model of juror decision-making. The Story Model suggests that jurors generate verdict stories (interpretations of events consistent with a guilty or not guilty verdict) based on trial evidence. If the evidence in favor of guilt exceeds jurors' threshold for perceiving culpability, jurors will fail to properly consider exonerating evidence. However, when the strength of incriminating evidence does not exceed the jurors' threshold, they are likely to give appropriate consideration to exculpatory evidence in their decisions. ^ Presentation of a reliable confession in Experiment 1 exceeded jurors' culpability threshold and rendered alibi largely irrelevant. In contrast, presentation of a high-pressure confession failed to exceed jurors' culpability threshold, so jurors turned to alibi evidence in their decisions. Similarly, in the second experiment, eyewitness evidence (in general) was not strong enough to surpass the culpability threshold, and thus jurors incorporated alibi evidence in their decisions. A third study is planned to further test this “culpability threshold” model, further explore various types of alibi evidence, and clarify when exculpatory evidence will sufficiently weaken the prosecution's “story.” ^

Análise da atuação do Ministério Público Estadual na assistência materno infantil do Rio Grande do Norte

Maternal and infant mortality have become a serious public health problem in Brazil, especially in northeasternand northern regions.In RioGrande do Norte, the high rates ofdeathsofmothersandbabies haveconcerned not onlythehealthauthorities andjusticeagenciessuch as the prosecution service. In 2011, State Public Ministry (MPE) has developed a proposition which was called “Nascer com Dignidade”, focused on the monitoring ofcare givenin prenatal, childbirth andpost childbirthin the cities. The aim of thisstudy was toinvestigate how the intervention of MPE works in maternal and child care. The method adopted to survey data was the case study by analyzing the skills of the reports which were carried out in four of the eight Public Health Regional Units (URSAP).A total of 26municipalities were chosenand the results showfragilityparticularly inprenatal care which can result in complicationsin childbirthand postpartumlike:incomplete health family teams(in05cities), lack of access orinaccessibility to laboratory tests(16 cities) and lack of the pregnant woman'sattachment to thebirthing place(in26 cities). Based on this reality, MPE has adopted relevant attitudes as filing public civil suits, compliance of Conduct Adjustment Declaration in the municipal management and performing interventions in heath care centers and maternity clinics of the state. Thereforeit is known thatPublic Ministryis of paramount importanceto indicatethe necessaryadjustmentsto addressinfant and maternalmortalityin the state (mean of 65/100,000 and16/100,000respectively) and give the city hall the responsibility for the health care quality provided to their citizens. These factors demand theprinciples ofuniversality and integrality to be performed in order to reduce social inequities.

O direito penal do inimigo na atualidade: Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty – MLAT, em matéria penal, celebrado entre a República Federativa do Brasil e os Estados Unidos da América bem como seus reflexos na jurisdição brasileira

In view of the climate of instability and deep social inequalities, it has been evident in the Brazilian reality, a new way to punish systematic already developed and consolidated in other countries, in which, among other things, the criminality is anticipated only by danger that the individual sports. It appears, therefore, that the theory developed by Günter Jakobs, nominated Criminal Law of the Enemy, became subtly inserted in the Brazilian reality as well as in international relations signed. In this sense, the Brazilian State, in order to carry out the international legal cooperation in the criminal field, signed a mutual assistance agreement with the government of the United States of America. Forward the conclusion of Mutual legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), the signatory countries voiced a desire to cooperate in order to facilitate the implementation of tasks of the authorities responsible for law enforcement in both countries, comprising research, investigation, prosecution and prevention of crime, said internalized adjustment in the Brazilian legal system by means of Decree No. 3810 of 02 May 2001. Alongside these considerations, the present study aims to analyze the Criminal law of the Enemy today, seeking to find evidence of that theory in the MLAT, international legal cooperation instrument signed between the government of the Federative Republic of Brazil and the government of the United States of America. Moreover, it has the objective to describe its effects on the Brazilian jurisdiction, especially as concerns the relativity and the suppression of human rights. Once done the introit, analysis will be carried out in the first chapter, on the definition and main features of the theory of Criminal Enemy of the law, it is imperative to approach the humanistic aspect that preceded the theory as well as the dealings given to some controversial issues surrounding it, such as the anticipation of the enemy's punishment and the disproportionality of the penalties imposed. In the second chapter will present the conceptual assumptions, historical evolution and the positives aspects, as well as the barriers and the pursuit of effectiveness of international legal cooperation. In the chapter, bedroom effective analysis of specific modality of cooperation will be held, the Mutual legal Assistance Treaty - MLAT in criminal matters, signed between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the United States of America, in which the general aspects will be addressed and the MLAT reflections on the Brazilian jurisdiction, which includes analysis about the relativity or suppression of human rights, future trends and creating stricter laws, followed by the presentation of the seized conclusion on the subject, in which, among other approaches, will be voiced understanding about the unconstitutionality certain service requests that, from these, there is the bad use of the agreed instrument.

Restorative Justice and Political Forgiveness: A Comparative Study of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions

This research project involves a comparative, cross-national study of truth and reconciliation commissions (TRCs) in countries around the world that have used these extra-judicial institutions to pursue justice and promote national reconciliation during periods of democratic transition or following a civil conflict marked by intense violence and severe human rights abuses. An important objective of truth and reconciliation commissions involves instituting measures to address serious human rights abuses that have occurred as a result of discrimination, ethnocentrism and racism. In recent years, rather than solely utilizing traditional methods of conflict resolution and criminal prosecution, transitional governments have established truth and reconciliation commissions as part of efforts to foster psychological, social and political healing.

The primary objective of this research project is to determine why there has been a proliferation of truth and reconciliation commissions around the world in recent decades, and assess whether the perceived effectiveness of these commissions is real and substantial. In this work, using a multi-method approach that involves quantitative and qualitative analysis, I consider the institutional design and structural composition of truth and reconciliation commissions, as well as the roles that these commissions play in the democratic transformation of nations with a history of civil conflict and human rights violations.

In addition to a focus on institutional design of truth and reconciliation commissions, I use a group identity framework that is grounded in social identity theory to examine the historical background and sociopolitical context in which truth commissions have been adopted in countries around the world. This group identity framework serves as an invaluable lens through which questions related to truth and reconciliation commissions and other transitional justice mechanisms can be explored. I also present a unique theoretical framework, the reconciliatory democratization paradigm, that is especially useful for examining the complex interactions between the various political elements that directly affect the processes of democratic consolidation and reconciliation in countries in which truth and reconciliation commissions have been established. Finally, I tackle the question of whether successor regimes that institute truth and reconciliation commissions can effectively address the human rights violations that occurred in the past, and prevent the recurrence of these abuses.

Bias on the Bench: How Judges’ Legal Backgrounds Influence Their Decisions

The ideal conception of a judge is that of a neutral arbitrator. However, there exist good reasons to believe that personal characteristics, including professional experiences, bias judges. Such suspicions inspired two hypotheses: (1) judges that are former prosecutors are biased in favor of the government in criminal appeals; (2) judges that are former criminal defense attorneys are biased in favor of the criminal appellant. These hypotheses were tested by gathering professional information about state supreme court judges in the south during the years from 1995 until 1998. That was then matched to an existing database that recorded those judges’ demographics and decisions in criminal appeals during that time. Logistic regressions of that data revealed that despite when other characteristics, including gender, race, and legal experience, were accounted for, criminal defense remained a statistically significant predictor. Judges with a background in criminal defense were more likely to reverse criminal court decisions. In contrast, prosecutorial experience was not a good predictor of how a judge ruled. Judges that had backgrounds in prosecution did not rule much differently than those that did not have such a background.

El problema de la iniciativa privada y la acción pública en los delitos sexuales (Bs. As., 1863 y 1921)

El presente trabajo propone problematizar las interpretaciones jurídicas en torno a la instancia privada así como a las posibilidades de actuación de la fiscalía una vez instada la acción en los delitos contra la honestidad. En este sentido, se busca mostrar cómo más allá del carácter "mixto" (combinación de instancia privada y acción pública) establecida por los códigos y sostenida por la doctrina, la cuestión se encontró controvertida en la práctica forense. Esta situación además, permite volver a debatir sobre los valores que entraron en juego a la hora de lidiar con estos crímenes, así como la pregunta sobre quién o quienes debían ser considerados víctimas de ellos así como explorar brevemente algunas relaciones entre derecho y género/sexualidad

El problema de la iniciativa privada y la acción pública en los delitos sexuales (Bs. As., 1863 y 1921)

El presente trabajo propone problematizar las interpretaciones jurídicas en torno a la instancia privada así como a las posibilidades de actuación de la fiscalía una vez instada la acción en los delitos contra la honestidad. En este sentido, se busca mostrar cómo más allá del carácter "mixto" (combinación de instancia privada y acción pública) establecida por los códigos y sostenida por la doctrina, la cuestión se encontró controvertida en la práctica forense. Esta situación además, permite volver a debatir sobre los valores que entraron en juego a la hora de lidiar con estos crímenes, así como la pregunta sobre quién o quienes debían ser considerados víctimas de ellos así como explorar brevemente algunas relaciones entre derecho y género/sexualidad

El problema de la iniciativa privada y la acción pública en los delitos sexuales (Bs. As., 1863 y 1921)

El presente trabajo propone problematizar las interpretaciones jurídicas en torno a la instancia privada así como a las posibilidades de actuación de la fiscalía una vez instada la acción en los delitos contra la honestidad. En este sentido, se busca mostrar cómo más allá del carácter "mixto" (combinación de instancia privada y acción pública) establecida por los códigos y sostenida por la doctrina, la cuestión se encontró controvertida en la práctica forense. Esta situación además, permite volver a debatir sobre los valores que entraron en juego a la hora de lidiar con estos crímenes, así como la pregunta sobre quién o quienes debían ser considerados víctimas de ellos así como explorar brevemente algunas relaciones entre derecho y género/sexualidad

La protección de los derechos al honor, intimidad y propia imagen del menor con suficiente madurez: entre el respeto a sus decisiones y la intervención del Ministerio Fiscal

En virtud del art. 3.1 de la Ley Orgánica 1/1982, de 5 de mayo, cuando los menores tengan suficiente madurez deberán consentir por sí mismos las intromisiones en sus derechos al honor, intimidad y propia imagen. Sin embargo, atendiendo al art. 4 de la Ley Orgánica de Protección Jurídica del Menor, cuando la intromisión tenga lugar en un medio de comunicación seguirá siendo ilegítima, aun consentida por un menor maduro, si se considera contraria a su honor e intereses, debiendo intervenir en su defensa el Ministerio Fiscal. Esta regulación plantea diversas cuestiones relacionadas con la protección de los derechos al honor, intimidad y propia imagen del menor con suficiente madurez —en particular, sobre la función del fiscal como garante de estos derechos y el papel que se otorga al consentimiento del menor— que son objeto de estudio del presente trabajo.

Reframing Public Inquiries as 'Procedural Justice' for Victims of Institutional Child Abuse: Towards a Hybrid Model of Justice

As the number of high profile cases of institutional child abuse mounts internationally, and the demands of victims for justice are heard, state responses have ranged from prosecution, apology, and compensation schemes, to truth commissions or public inquiries. Drawing on the examples of Australia and Northern Ireland as two jurisdictions with a recent and ongoing history of statutory inquiries into institutional child abuse, the article utilises the restorative justice paradigm to critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of the inquiry framework in providing ‘justice’ for victims. It critically explores the normative and pragmatic implications of a hybrid model as a more effective route to procedural justice and suggests that an appropriately designed restorative pathway may augment the legitimacy and utility of the public inquiry model for victims chiefly via improving offender accountability and ‘voice’ for victims. The article concludes by offering some thoughts on the broader implications for other jurisdictions in responding to large-scale historical abuses and seeking to come to terms with the legacy of institutional child abuse.

A ampla defesa e o contraditório aplicados ao inquérito policial

Trata-se de um estudo sistêmico e metódico dos institutos da ampla defesa e do contraditório aplicados no bojo de um inquérito policial à luz dos demais princípios constitucionais fundamentais. Far-se-á um olhar comparativo entre as normas e demais fatores jurídicos, políticos, econômicos e sociais do Brasil e de Portugal, bem como referências subsidiárias de outros países da Europa e do mundo. O tema gira em torno do sistema processual penal brasileiro no que tange às investigações preliminares da polícia judiciária. Estabelece como ponto de partida a efetivação do Estado Democrático de Direito no processo de construção de uma sociedade comprometida no senso de igualdade e justiça. Para tanto, avaliaremos a conveniência de se instituir aqueles princípios no texto constitucional e respectivas leis como forma de dar concretude à formação da culpa do acusado ainda na fase policial; ou, pelo menos, para promover uma investigação criminal livres de quaisquer vícios. Também será necessário refletir sobre a evolução da persecução penal no mundo e no Brasil para que possamos, a partir de uma análise comparativa, avaliar os aspectos positivos e negativos que devem ser repetidos ou rechaçados. Proporemos uma mudança de paradigma de investigação criminal, elegendo o órgão ministerial como condutor das investigações, em contraponto ao atual modelo brasileiro que deposita essa prerrogativa exclusivamente nas mãos da polícia judiciária, para então concluirmos se vale a pena uma alteração normativa lastreada na otimização dos resultados no combate à criminalidade tendo o inquérito policial como instrumento de controle. Nesta esteira, feito o breve estudo da evolução histórica dos institutos, passaremos por uma reflexão mais moderna do Estado Garantidor pautado no senso democrático atual, para, então, esmiuçar a merecida atenção dos princípios fundamentais constitucionais e finalmente mergulhar nos principais aspectos do inquérito policial, sempre propondo a eventual aplicabilidade da ampla defesa e do contraditório como forma de compatibilizar de vez com a noção de democracia plena dos institutos penais. Em seguida, iremos colacionar os resultados da pesquisa empírica feita por meio de entrevistas com profissionais de alta envergadura jurídica, os quais apresentarão suas perspectivas quanto ao tema e terão suas manifestações analisadas de forma qualiquantitativa. Concluiremos o trabalho com as reflexões finais.