The role of death qualification in venirepersons' evaluations of aggravating and mitigating circumstances in capital trials

Death qualification is a part of voir dire that is unique to capital trials. Unlike all other litigation, capital jurors must affirm their willingness to impose both legal standards (either life in prison or the death penalty). Jurors who assert they are able to do so are deemed “death-qualified” and are eligible for capital jury service: jurors who assert that they are unable to do so are deemed “excludable” or “scrupled” and are barred from hearing a death penalty case. During the penalty phase in capital trials, death-qualified jurors weigh the aggravators (i.e., arguments for death) against the mitigators (i.e., arguments for life) in order to determine the sentence. If the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances, then the jury is to recommend death; if the mitigating circumstances outweigh the aggravating circumstances, then the jury is to recommend life. The jury is free to weigh each aggravating and mitigating circumstance in any matter they see fit. Previous research has found that death qualification impacts jurors' receptiveness to aggravating and mitigating circumstances (e.g., Luginbuhl & Middendorf, 1988). However, these studies utilized the now-defunct Witherspoon rule and did not include a case scenario for participants to reference. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether death qualification affects jurors' endorsements of aggravating and mitigating circumstances when Witt, rather than Witherspoon, is the legal standard for death qualification. Four hundred and fifty venirepersons from the 11 th Judicial Circuit in Miami, Florida completed a booklet of stimulus materials that contained the following: two death qualification questions; a case scenario that included a summary of the guilt and penalty phases of a capital case; a 26-item measure that required participants to endorse aggravators, nonstatutory mitigators, and statutory mitigators on a 6-point Likert scale; and standard demographic questions. Results indicated that death-qualified venirepersons, when compared to excludables, were more likely to endorse aggravating circumstances. Excludable participants, when compared to death-qualified venirepersons, were more likely to endorse nonstatutory mitigators. There was no significant difference between death-qualified and excludable venirepersons with respect to their endorsement of 6 out of 7 statutory mitigators. It would appear that the Furman v. Georgia (1972) decision to declare the death penalty unconstitutional is frustrated by the Lockhart v. McCree (1986) affirmation of death qualification. ^

Imputabilidad, eximentes, atenuantes y agravantes en los delitos sexuales de clérigos con menores

Resumen: El artículo recuerda que las circunstancias atenuantes, eximentes y agravantes deben ser tenidas en cuenta por el juez de acuerdo a la norma canónica. Si el legislador las ha puesto es porque obedecen al espíritu del Derecho Penal Canónico y no pueden dejarse de lado en el delito de los clérigos contra el sexto mandamiento cometido con menores. Lo mismo ocurre con el discernimiento acerca de la imputabilidad de un clérigo en estos delitos, que debe hacerse con objetividad y según la ley canónica. Algo que ninguna normativa posterior ha cambiado al respecto.

La penalidad de la ebriedad en el código penal y en la praxis judicial bonaerense 1878-1888

La sanción del código penal en la provincia de Buenos Aires en el año 1877, fijó en el homicidio la penalidad y determinó las circunstancias del delito mediante la enumeración de los atenuantes y agravantes. El objetivo era contemplar todas las posibilidades del delito para reducir el "arbitrio judicial". Sin embargo, deteniéndonos en los cambios operados en cuanto a la ebriedad en la normativa legal y en la práctica judicial, se puede observar que la función del juez no se redujo únicamente a computar la pena según el delito. A su cargo quedó la apreciación de las pruebas y la interpretación legal. En este sentido, la ley dejó márgenes para considerar a la ebriedad como atenuante o no de la penalidad. Sin embargo, los jueces le negaron tal beneficio al imputado, lo cual marcó una ruptura con respecto al período anterior. Interpretación que estuvo determinada no por un cambio en la percepción sobre el efecto del alcohol como perturbador de la conciencia, sino por ciertos prejuicios que otorgaron una jerarquía y un valor a los motivos que pudieran cegar al trasgresor. Considerada aun como un vicio y no una patología, revelaron la condena a esta práctica social determinando que hechos ya no quedaban comprendidos como circunstancias atenuantes. En definitiva, la ebriedad posibilita apreciar el complejo proceso de codificación que consistió no únicamente en la aplicación literal de la ley sino también en la interpretación que de ella se hiciera.

La penalidad de la ebriedad en el código penal y en la praxis judicial bonaerense 1878-1888

La sanción del código penal en la provincia de Buenos Aires en el año 1877, fijó en el homicidio la penalidad y determinó las circunstancias del delito mediante la enumeración de los atenuantes y agravantes. El objetivo era contemplar todas las posibilidades del delito para reducir el "arbitrio judicial". Sin embargo, deteniéndonos en los cambios operados en cuanto a la ebriedad en la normativa legal y en la práctica judicial, se puede observar que la función del juez no se redujo únicamente a computar la pena según el delito. A su cargo quedó la apreciación de las pruebas y la interpretación legal. En este sentido, la ley dejó márgenes para considerar a la ebriedad como atenuante o no de la penalidad. Sin embargo, los jueces le negaron tal beneficio al imputado, lo cual marcó una ruptura con respecto al período anterior. Interpretación que estuvo determinada no por un cambio en la percepción sobre el efecto del alcohol como perturbador de la conciencia, sino por ciertos prejuicios que otorgaron una jerarquía y un valor a los motivos que pudieran cegar al trasgresor. Considerada aun como un vicio y no una patología, revelaron la condena a esta práctica social determinando que hechos ya no quedaban comprendidos como circunstancias atenuantes. En definitiva, la ebriedad posibilita apreciar el complejo proceso de codificación que consistió no únicamente en la aplicación literal de la ley sino también en la interpretación que de ella se hiciera.

La penalidad de la ebriedad en el código penal y en la praxis judicial bonaerense 1878-1888

La sanción del código penal en la provincia de Buenos Aires en el año 1877, fijó en el homicidio la penalidad y determinó las circunstancias del delito mediante la enumeración de los atenuantes y agravantes. El objetivo era contemplar todas las posibilidades del delito para reducir el "arbitrio judicial". Sin embargo, deteniéndonos en los cambios operados en cuanto a la ebriedad en la normativa legal y en la práctica judicial, se puede observar que la función del juez no se redujo únicamente a computar la pena según el delito. A su cargo quedó la apreciación de las pruebas y la interpretación legal. En este sentido, la ley dejó márgenes para considerar a la ebriedad como atenuante o no de la penalidad. Sin embargo, los jueces le negaron tal beneficio al imputado, lo cual marcó una ruptura con respecto al período anterior. Interpretación que estuvo determinada no por un cambio en la percepción sobre el efecto del alcohol como perturbador de la conciencia, sino por ciertos prejuicios que otorgaron una jerarquía y un valor a los motivos que pudieran cegar al trasgresor. Considerada aun como un vicio y no una patología, revelaron la condena a esta práctica social determinando que hechos ya no quedaban comprendidos como circunstancias atenuantes. En definitiva, la ebriedad posibilita apreciar el complejo proceso de codificación que consistió no únicamente en la aplicación literal de la ley sino también en la interpretación que de ella se hiciera.

Las circunstancias de agravación punitiva en el derecho penal colombiano. Una propuesta interpretativa a la luz del principio de non bis in ídem

Este texto pretende desarrollar una propuesta de interpretación restrictiva de la aplicación del sistema de circunstancias de agravación de la responsabilidad en el Derecho penal colombiano, con especial acento en las circunstancias genéricas de agravación punitiva, teniendo como referente interpretativo el principio constitucional de non bis in ídem

Victims Speak: Comparing Child Sexual Abusers and Their Victims Accounts of Offence Circumstances

This article presents findings from a longitudinal study. The research aimed to explore the effectiveness of a treatment program for offenders which lasted for three years. The research design was structured around the program with interviews and psychometric testing undertaken at key points in time with the same group of respondents. View all notes that sought to evaluate a treatment program for child sexual abusers. A triangulated methodological approach was adopted drawing upon quantitative and qualitative methodological techniques. The focus here is upon one element of this research. 2 2The quantitative element of this research will be published shortly but is referred to in the following reports Davidson 2000, 2003 [research funded by the National Probation Service]. Psychometric testing was undertaken over a four-year period with the men attending the treatment program to explore shifts in the extent of denial, blame attribution, and victim empathy over time. Offender cognitive distortions, general health, and self-esteem were also explored via psychometric testing. An interview-administered survey was undertaken with all sex offenders registered with the Probation Service (those on probation and in custody) in order to gather demographic data, and 117 of 150 offenders responded. View all notes Ninety-one in-depth interviews were conducted over a four-year period with a small, nonrandom sample of twenty-one male offenders who had been convicted of sexual offenses against children. All of the men were subject to probation orders with a psychiatric condition (Criminal Justice Act, 1991). One of the aims of this element of the research was to explore the extent to which evidence of denial could be found in offenders’ accounts of offense circumstance and also to explore the extent to which offenders minimized the nature and extent of abuse perpetrated. Offenders’ accounts of offense circumstances were compared to victim statements, and stark differences emerge. These findings have considerable implications for treatment practice with sex offenders, where victims’ perceptions could be used to directly confront offender denial and minimization.

Reconsidering the agency of a privately appointed receiver and manager in three specific circumstances

Where a secured lender elects to appoint a receiver and manager, the appointment document standardly provides for the receiver and manager to act as the agent of the debtor. This article considers the significance of this agency in the context of three specific issues that have the potential to arise in the receivership of a corporate borrower across all Australian jurisdictions.

Self-reported circumstances and consequences of driving while sleepy

Driver surveys are indispensable sources of information when estimating the role of sleepiness in crash causation. The purpose of the study was to (1) identify the prevalence of driving while sleepy among Finnish drivers, (2) determine the circumstances of such instances, and (3) identify risk factors and risk groups. Survey data were collected from a representative sample of active Finnish drivers (N = 1121). One-fifth of the drivers (19.5%) reported having fallen asleep at the wheel during their driving career, with 15.9% reporting having been close to falling asleep or having difficulty staying awake when driving during the previous twelve months. Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores were found to be associated with both types of sleepiness-related driving instances, while sleep quality was associated only with the latter. Compared to women, men more often reported falling asleep at the wheel; the differences were somewhat smaller with respect to fighting sleep while driving during the previous twelve months. The reported discrepancy in sleepiness-related instances (high prevalence of fighting sleep while driving during the previous twelve months and lower proportion of actually falling asleep) identifies young men (⩽25 years) as one of the main target groups for safety campaigns. Approximately three-quarters of drivers who had fallen asleep while driving reported taking action against falling asleep before it actually happened. Furthermore, almost all drivers who had fallen asleep while driving offered at least one logical reason that could have contributed to their falling asleep. These data indicate some degree of awareness about driving while sleepy and of the potential pre-trip factors that could lead to sleepiness while driving, and supports the notion that falling asleep at the wheel does not come as a (complete) surprise to the driver.

Comparative studies of how living circumstances influence medication adherence in ≥ 65 year olds

Background Resources to help the older aged (≥65 year olds) manage their medicines should probably target those in greatest need. The older-aged have many different types of living circumstances. There are different locations (urban, rural), different types of housing (in the community or in retirement villages), different living arrangements (living alone or with others), and different socioeconomic status (SES) circumstances. However, there has been limited attention to whether these living circumstances affect adherence to medicines in the ≥65 year olds. Aim of the review The aim was to determine whether comparative studies, including logistic regression studies, show that living circumstances affect adherence to medicines by the ≥65 year olds. Methods A literature search of Medline, CINAHL and the Internet (Google) was undertaken. Results Four comparative studies have not shown differences in adherence to medicines between the ≥65 year olds living in rural and urban locations, but one study shows lower adherence to medicines for osteoporosis in rural areas compared to metropolitan, and another study shows greater adherence to antihypertensive medicines in rural than urban areas. There are no comparative studies of adherence to medicines in the older-aged living in indigenous communities compared to other communities. There is conflicting evidence as to whether living alone, being unmarried, or having a low income/worth is associated with nonadherence. Preliminary studies have suggested that the older-aged living in rental, low SES retirement villages or leasehold, middle SES retirement villages have a lower adherence to medicines than those living in freehold, high SES retirement villages. Conclusions The ≥65 year olds living in rural communities may need extra help with adherence to medicines for osteoporosis. The ≥65 year olds living in rental or leasehold retirement villages may require extra assistance/resources to adhere to their medicines. Further research is needed to clarify whether living under certain living circumstances (e.g. living alone, being unmarried, low income) has an effect on adherence, and to determine whether the ≥65 year olds living in indigenous communities need assistance to be adherent to prescribed medicines.

Multiple socioeconomic circumstances and health : associations and explanations among Finnish and British public sector employees

Socioeconomic health inequalities have been widely documented, with a lower social position being associated with poorer physical and general health and higher mortality. For mental health the results have been more varied. However, the mechanisms by which the various dimensions of socioeconomic circumstances are associated with different domains of health are not yet fully understood. This is related to a lack of studies tackling the interrelations and pathways between multiple dimensions of socioeconomic circumstances and domains of health. In particular, evidence from comparative studies of populations from different national contexts that consider the complexity of the causes of socioeconomic health inequalities is needed. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of multiple socioeconomic circumstances with physical and mental health, more specifically physical functioning and common mental disorders. This was done in a comparative setting of two cohorts of white-collar public sector employees, one from Finland and one from Britain. The study also sought to find explanations for the observed associations between economic difficulties and health by analysing the contribution of health behaviours, living arrangements and work-family conflicts. The survey data were derived from the Finnish Helsinki Health Study baseline surveys in 2000-2002 among the City of Helsinki employees aged 40-60 years, and from the fifth phase of the London-based Whitehall II study (1997-9) which is a prospective study of civil servants aged 35-55 years at the time of recruitment. The data collection in the two countries was harmonised to safeguard maximal comparability. Physical functioning was measured with the Short Form (SF-36) physical component summary and common mental disorders with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Socioeconomic circumstances were parental education, childhood economic difficulties, own education, occupational class, household income, housing tenure, and current economic difficulties. Further explanatory factors were health behaviours, living arrangements and work-family conflicts. The main statistical method used was logistic regression analysis. Analyses were conducted separately for the two sexes and two cohorts. Childhood and current economic difficulties were associated with poorer physical functioning and common mental disorders generally in both cohorts and sexes. Conventional dimensions of socioeconomic circumstances i.e. education, occupational class and income were associated with physical functioning and mediated each other’s effects, but in different ways in the two cohorts: education was more important in Helsinki and occupational class in London. The associations of economic difficulties with health were partly explained by work-family conflicts and other socioeconomic circumstances in both cohorts and sexes. In conclusion, this study on two country-specific cohorts confirms that different dimensions of socioeconomic circumstances are related but not interchangeable. They are also somewhat differently associated with physical and mental domains of health. In addition to conventionally measured dimensions of past and present socioeconomic circumstances, economic difficulties should be taken into account in studies and attempts to reduce health inequalities. Further explanatory factors, particularly conflicts between work and family, should also be considered when aiming to reduce inequalities and maintain the health of employees.

Aplicação da pena privativa de liberdade e o dever jurídico-constitucional de minimização da afetação individual: uma nova proposta discursiva

Investiga se o atual modelo de aplicação da pena privativa de liberdade se mostra adequado aos parâmetros traçados pela constituição de 1988, atendendo ao fundamento da dignidade da pessoa humana e aos objetivos fundamentais de construção de uma sociedade livre, justa e solidária e de promoção do bem de todos. Analisa a dinâmica histórica da aplicação e das teorias das penas privativas de liberdade no Brasil, abordando os principais critérios e atuais orientações da aplicação penal. Sustenta que a dignidade da pessoa humana constitui fundamento do Estado Republicano e Democrático de Direito brasileiro e que, ao lado do princípio da humanidade das penas, seu correspondente penal, fundamenta a necessidade de se evitar ao máximo que os indivíduos sejam afetados pela intervenção do poder punitivo. Conclui, então, pela existência de um autêntico dever jurídico-constitucional da agência judicial no sentido de minimizar a intensidade de afetação do indivíduo sentenciado. Procura erigir novos princípios quanto à aplicação da pena, dotados de força normativa e que atuem de maneira integrada para a tutela dos direitos fundamentais. Defende que a Constituição de 1988 não incorporou o discurso legitimador da pena, limitando-se à tarefa de contenção de danos e de fixação de limites punitivos. Preconiza novos parâmetros para a fixação da pena-base, sustentando a incompatibilidade constitucional das finalidades de reprovação e prevenção do crime. Debate qual deve ser o adequado sentido constitucional das circunstâncias judiciais da pena. Discute as bases da tendência exasperadora da pena, caracterizada pelas agravantes, qualificadoras e causas de aumento, assim como da tendência mitigadora da pena, representada pelas atenuantes, causas de diminuição, participação de agentes, tentativa, concurso de crimes, crime continuado, unificação e limite de penas. Identifica a existência de crise no dogma da pena mínima, propondo, afinal, a construção de um novo modelo interpretativo de aplicação da pena privativa de liberdade.

The perspectives of young children in care about their circumstances and implications for social work practice

Recent reviews of research regarding children in care have concluded that there remains little research which specifically focuses on young children. This paper presents the findings of research carried out with a sample of young children in care (aged 4-7 years) regarding their perspectives of their circumstances. The findings reveal that they have deeply held views regarding living with risk; removal from their families; unresolved feelings of guilt and loss; and not being listened to. This paper considers the implications of these findings for social work practice. It concludes by stressing the capacity of young children in care to express their perspectives, and the importance of practitioners seeking these views and incorporating them into assessment and decision-making processes.