2008年5月10日 星期六
Myanmar News
Taiwanese Religious Leader Went Myanmar
TAIPEI, TAIWAN: A Taiwanese Buddhist leader said Friday (9 May) that Myanmar was promptly dispatching food and medical materials to cyclone survivors even though the reclusive country has been slow to let foreign aid workers in.
Master Hsin Tao made the comments as he returned from a trip to Yangon to assess the destruction from Cyclone Nargis.
He led a team of 10 Taiwanese aid workers to Myanmar this week and dispatched 6 tons of food to cyclone survivors.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has come in for heavy criticism from the international community for failing to take full advantage of food and other aid it has been offered.
On Friday, spokesman Paul Risley of the World Food Program said "the frustration caused by what appears to be a paperwork delay is unprecedented in modern humanitarian relief efforts."
But Hsin Tao said Myanmar's military rulers have mobilized soldiers and civilians to transport aid materials by ships or helicopters to the cyclone victims spread out along the country's west coast.
Myanmar news from: http://www.mysinchew.com/node/11255?tid=37
Photo released from first apple news:
http://1-apple.com.tw/index.cfm
news:http://1-apple.com.tw/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Article&Sec_ID=3&ShowDate=20080511&IssueID=20080511&art_id=30538685&NewsType=1&SubSec=11
According to the news, Taiwanese Buddhist leaders try to send aid materials by religion tie.
2008年5月7日 星期三
District Prosecutors' Offices in Taiwan
各地方法院檢察署網站 (英文網站佳者*)
Shihlin District Prosecutors' Office
http://www.slc.moj.gov.tw/mp010.html
Location:
http://www.slc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=92261&ctNode=19780&mp=104
Keelung District Prosecutors' Office
http://www.klc.moj.gov.tw/mp026.html
Location:
http://www.klc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=5541&ctNode=11239&mp=120
Miaoli District Prosecutors' Office:
http://www.mlc.moj.gov.tw/mp014.html
Location:
http://www.mlc.moj.gov.tw/mp108.html
Miaoli County (Miaoli Taiwan) is famous for woodcarving and Hakka culture.
Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office
http://www.chc.moj.gov.tw/mp016.html
Location:
http://www.chc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=64058&CtNode=16361&mp=110
Kinmen District Prosecutors' Office
http://www.kmc.moj.gov.tw/mp028.html
Location:
http://www.kmc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=77490&CtNode=18456&mp=122
Kinmen County is famous for it's Kinmen Kaoliang and Kinmen Knife.
Penghu District Prosecutors’ Office
http://www.phc.moj.gov.tw/mp027.html
Location:
http://www.phc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=4343&CtNode=10976&mp=121
Yunlin District Prosecutors' Office
http://www.ulc.moj.gov.tw/mp018.html
Location:
http://www.ulc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=65623&CtNode=16655&mp=112
Tainan District Prosecutors' Office (-)
Tainan District Prosecutors' Office
Taichung District Prosecutor's Office (*)
http://www.tcc.moj.gov.tw/mp109.html
Wanli Yang
2009.2.4 rewrited
Shihlin District Prosecutors' Office
http://www.slc.moj.gov.tw/mp010.html
Location:
http://www.slc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=92261&ctNode=19780&mp=104
Keelung District Prosecutors' Office
http://www.klc.moj.gov.tw/mp026.html
Location:
http://www.klc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=5541&ctNode=11239&mp=120
Miaoli District Prosecutors' Office:
http://www.mlc.moj.gov.tw/mp014.html
Location:
http://www.mlc.moj.gov.tw/mp108.html
Miaoli County (Miaoli Taiwan) is famous for woodcarving and Hakka culture.
Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office
http://www.chc.moj.gov.tw/mp016.html
Location:
http://www.chc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=64058&CtNode=16361&mp=110
Kinmen District Prosecutors' Office
http://www.kmc.moj.gov.tw/mp028.html
Location:
http://www.kmc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=77490&CtNode=18456&mp=122
Kinmen County is famous for it's Kinmen Kaoliang and Kinmen Knife.
Penghu District Prosecutors’ Office
http://www.phc.moj.gov.tw/mp027.html
Location:
http://www.phc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=4343&CtNode=10976&mp=121
Yunlin District Prosecutors' Office
http://www.ulc.moj.gov.tw/mp018.html
Location:
http://www.ulc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=65623&CtNode=16655&mp=112
Tainan District Prosecutors' Office (-)
Tainan District Prosecutors' Office
Taichung District Prosecutor's Office (*)
http://www.tcc.moj.gov.tw/mp109.html
Wanli Yang
2009.2.4 rewrited
2008年5月1日 星期四
the Attorney General of ROC (Taiwan)
The Attorney General of ROC( Taiwan)
The Attorney General of ROC is the chief of both the Supreme Court Prosecutors’ office(Attorney General Office) and prosecution system as a whole.
All public prosecutors are under the direction and supervision by the Attorney General.
Qualifications required to be an Attorney General
According to the law, the Attorney General should has at least one of the following qualifications to be nominated as a candidate.
1. has served any periord as
i. Grand Justice
ii. the president of the Supreme Court
iii. the president of the Administration Court
iv. the chairman of Committee on the Discipline of Public Functionaries. (the chairman of Public Ethic Committee )
2. has served for five years as
i. Judge of the Supreme Court
ii. prosecutor of the Supreme Court Prosecutors'office (Attorney General Office)
iii. the President of High Court
iv. the President of High Court Prosecutors’ Office
3. has served for ten years as
i. Judge
ii. Prosecutor
In practice, the Attorney General always nominated from the Supreme Court Prosecutors’ Office.
Appointment and Tenure of Office
According to the law, Attorney General is specially nominated by the President of ROC(Taiwan) and must be approved by the Legislative Yuan. For historical background to prevent the unwanted political-influence, the Legislative Yuan passed the law to create a tenure system for the Attorney General in 2006, The tenure is four years and only one term can be served.
Chen Tsung-ming is the first ever Attorney General(Prosecutor General) of the ROC nominated under this new four years tenure. His counterpart in the US would be the Federal Attorney General. However, unlike in US, the Attorney General is not considerate a classical part of Administration, therefore required great impartiality in order to maintain the independence of the prosecution system demanded by the public, as well as carries with it enormous responsibility.
The Supreme Court Prosecutors' Office:
http://www.tps.moj.gov.tw/mp002.html
No.235, Sec. 1, Guiyang St.（Gueiyang St）, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 100, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
10048
Tel: +886-2-2316-7000
Business Hours:
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Directions: (map of Taiwan maps.google.com.tw)
Link:
Wanli Yang 2008/05/01
The Attorney General of ROC is the chief of both the Supreme Court Prosecutors’ office(Attorney General Office) and prosecution system as a whole.
All public prosecutors are under the direction and supervision by the Attorney General.
Qualifications required to be an Attorney General
According to the law, the Attorney General should has at least one of the following qualifications to be nominated as a candidate.
1. has served any periord as
i. Grand Justice
ii. the president of the Supreme Court
iii. the president of the Administration Court
iv. the chairman of Committee on the Discipline of Public Functionaries. (the chairman of Public Ethic Committee )
2. has served for five years as
i. Judge of the Supreme Court
ii. prosecutor of the Supreme Court Prosecutors'office (Attorney General Office)
iii. the President of High Court
iv. the President of High Court Prosecutors’ Office
3. has served for ten years as
i. Judge
ii. Prosecutor
In practice, the Attorney General always nominated from the Supreme Court Prosecutors’ Office.
Appointment and Tenure of Office
According to the law, Attorney General is specially nominated by the President of ROC(Taiwan) and must be approved by the Legislative Yuan. For historical background to prevent the unwanted political-influence, the Legislative Yuan passed the law to create a tenure system for the Attorney General in 2006, The tenure is four years and only one term can be served.
Chen Tsung-ming is the first ever Attorney General(Prosecutor General) of the ROC nominated under this new four years tenure. His counterpart in the US would be the Federal Attorney General. However, unlike in US, the Attorney General is not considerate a classical part of Administration, therefore required great impartiality in order to maintain the independence of the prosecution system demanded by the public, as well as carries with it enormous responsibility.
The Supreme Court Prosecutors' Office:
http://www.tps.moj.gov.tw/mp002.html
No.235, Sec. 1, Guiyang St.（Gueiyang St）, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 100, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
10048
Tel: +886-2-2316-7000
Business Hours:
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Directions: (map of Taiwan maps.google.com.tw)
Link:
Wanli Yang 2008/05/01
2008年4月27日 星期日
卡特(Jimmy Carter)出訪哈馬斯(Hamas)組織是否違反羅根法案
卡特(Jimmy Carter)出訪哈馬斯(Hamas)組織是否違反羅根法案
哈馬斯(Hamas)組織基本上被美國布希政府歸類為恐怖組織之ㄧ環，而不予接觸，然而前美國前總統卡特(Jimmy Carter)抱持著較為務實的態度，卡特認為美國、以色列和歐盟將哈馬斯列入“恐怖組織”名單是“沒有用的”，並且於2008年4月間出訪中東，試圖說服哈馬斯(Hamas)組織領導人梅沙爾( Khaled Meshaal )與巴勒斯坦領導人阿巴斯( Mahmoud Abbas )以及以色列進行和平談判，雖然卡特此行沒有獲得太大的進展，然而哈馬斯( Hamas )組織於2008.4.21(周一)已經表示，將接受巴勒斯坦在1967年中東戰爭時被以色列占領的土地上建國，但不準備承認以色列，立場明顯有所軟化。
然而，美國布希政府一直拒絕與哈馬斯接觸（see Bush Administration Foreign Policy），且不支持卡特的行動。於是美國政府針對這件事情首先在2008年4月24日回應稱沒有看到哈馬斯的態度有什麼改變。原本以為美國政府表表態，這件事情也就這樣算了，想不到，同日美國NPR新聞出現一則抬頭為Jimmy Carter Gives Logan Act a Boost這樣的標語，按指卡特有違反羅根法案之嫌。
羅根法案（The Logan Act）
美國在1799年訂定「羅根法案」，禁止任何人在未經政府授權下，以私人身分與外國政府進行任何形式的接觸互動，影響美國與外國政府之間爭議的處理。
羅根（George Logan）是一名醫師，曾任美國賓州州議員，在1798年美法關係緊張之際，以個人身分前往法國巴黎與法國政府進行接觸，提出美、法兩國改善緊繃關係之建議，並採取一些改善兩國關係之措施，例如解除貿易禁運、釋放遭法國船艦俘虜的美國水手等。而當時法國早也想結束與美國的敵對關係，才能專心應付其他歐洲國家。然而，羅根在沒有美國政府授權下，自行與法國商談和解，返國後深受民主共和黨稱許，但卻引發敵對之聯邦黨強烈不滿，因此以聯邦黨為多數的國會遂通過此一「羅根法案」。
「羅根法案」通過至今已二百多年，並未有人遭到判刑或處罰。多半為反對黨引用「羅根法案」來批評對手政黨之用，例如，南西.波洛西(Nancy Pelosi)前往敘利亞(Syria)時，也曾經被布希政府提出質疑，以達到政治效應。
資料來源：
1.路透社大馬士革，2008.4.21記者Khaled Yacoub Oweis, 2008.4.22，翻譯：余樂 發稿：程芳，哈馬斯稱將接受巴勒斯坦建國 仍不承認以色列。
2.高天生，【媒體萬箭穿心】阿扁「草船借箭」 強推國代選舉，新台灣新聞週刊，2005/05/12 第477期。
3.Daniel Schorr, Jimmy Carter Gives Logan Act a Boost, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89922213,2008.4.28viewed.
4.Wikipedia-, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Act
Hamas: see Hamas Wikipedia
5.Text of the Logan Act § 953. Private correspondence with foreign governments.
Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
By Wan-Li Yang 2008.4.28
哈馬斯(Hamas)組織基本上被美國布希政府歸類為恐怖組織之ㄧ環，而不予接觸，然而前美國前總統卡特(Jimmy Carter)抱持著較為務實的態度，卡特認為美國、以色列和歐盟將哈馬斯列入“恐怖組織”名單是“沒有用的”，並且於2008年4月間出訪中東，試圖說服哈馬斯(Hamas)組織領導人梅沙爾( Khaled Meshaal )與巴勒斯坦領導人阿巴斯( Mahmoud Abbas )以及以色列進行和平談判，雖然卡特此行沒有獲得太大的進展，然而哈馬斯( Hamas )組織於2008.4.21(周一)已經表示，將接受巴勒斯坦在1967年中東戰爭時被以色列占領的土地上建國，但不準備承認以色列，立場明顯有所軟化。
然而，美國布希政府一直拒絕與哈馬斯接觸（see Bush Administration Foreign Policy），且不支持卡特的行動。於是美國政府針對這件事情首先在2008年4月24日回應稱沒有看到哈馬斯的態度有什麼改變。原本以為美國政府表表態，這件事情也就這樣算了，想不到，同日美國NPR新聞出現一則抬頭為Jimmy Carter Gives Logan Act a Boost這樣的標語，按指卡特有違反羅根法案之嫌。
羅根法案（The Logan Act）
美國在1799年訂定「羅根法案」，禁止任何人在未經政府授權下，以私人身分與外國政府進行任何形式的接觸互動，影響美國與外國政府之間爭議的處理。
羅根（George Logan）是一名醫師，曾任美國賓州州議員，在1798年美法關係緊張之際，以個人身分前往法國巴黎與法國政府進行接觸，提出美、法兩國改善緊繃關係之建議，並採取一些改善兩國關係之措施，例如解除貿易禁運、釋放遭法國船艦俘虜的美國水手等。而當時法國早也想結束與美國的敵對關係，才能專心應付其他歐洲國家。然而，羅根在沒有美國政府授權下，自行與法國商談和解，返國後深受民主共和黨稱許，但卻引發敵對之聯邦黨強烈不滿，因此以聯邦黨為多數的國會遂通過此一「羅根法案」。
「羅根法案」通過至今已二百多年，並未有人遭到判刑或處罰。多半為反對黨引用「羅根法案」來批評對手政黨之用，例如，南西.波洛西(Nancy Pelosi)前往敘利亞(Syria)時，也曾經被布希政府提出質疑，以達到政治效應。
資料來源：
1.路透社大馬士革，2008.4.21記者Khaled Yacoub Oweis, 2008.4.22，翻譯：余樂 發稿：程芳，哈馬斯稱將接受巴勒斯坦建國 仍不承認以色列。
2.高天生，【媒體萬箭穿心】阿扁「草船借箭」 強推國代選舉，新台灣新聞週刊，2005/05/12 第477期。
3.Daniel Schorr, Jimmy Carter Gives Logan Act a Boost, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89922213,2008.4.28viewed.
4.Wikipedia-, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Act
Hamas: see Hamas Wikipedia
5.Text of the Logan Act § 953. Private correspondence with foreign governments.
Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
By Wan-Li Yang 2008.4.28
2008年4月16日 星期三
CPS announces the roll out of two key justice initiatives
CPS announces the roll out of two key justice initiatives
英國皇家檢察署於本月一日宣布將全面實施兩項關鍵性措施( CPS announces the roll out of two key justice initiatives)1 April 2008
英國皇家檢察署(CPS)於2008年4月1日正式宣布將在England以及威爾斯( Wales)地區全面實施兩項關鍵性措施,一為偵查中對證人之訊問(Pre-trial Interview),另一為類似附條件式緩起訴處分,簡稱為附條件式處遇( Conditional Cautions). 就偵查中對證人之訊問此一新措施,可使檢察官在案件進入法院之前,得以訊問證人.而在附條件處遇計畫下,較輕微的犯罪可因此免於進入法院(免於起訴)。
附條件式處遇( Conditional Cautions)主要目的在於改善對被害人的補償、降低再犯率，以及避免輕罪案件進入法院。Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald QC表示，因為附條件式的處遇目標在於針對適合的案件做出便捷且快速的決定，並藉諮詢被害人意見，將被害人的意見納入處遇計畫中而做出一些適合的"條件"，這樣的措施，使得附條件式處遇變得更加有意義。
附條件式處遇(Conditional Cautions)適用於非常廣泛的案件中，包括毀損案件、竊盜案件以及一些常見的傷害案件。大多的案件所附的條件都為要求被告支付被害人一定的賠償金額，另外有些條件還包括向被害人道歉，或者參加一些戒毒措施等。當然，如果被告沒有完成這些條件，就可能會被以原來所犯之罪名起訴。
The use of conditional cautions is aimed at improving victim satisfaction, reducing re-offending and diverting low-level offenders away from the courts.
Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Ken Macdonald QC said: "Conditional cautions make sense. They are intended to be a swift and speedy resolution to appropriate cases, following a consultation with the victim and taking into account their views when considering suitable cautions."
Conditional cautions are used in a wide range of cases, including criminal damage, theft and common assault. Most conditions require the offender to pay compensation. Other conditions have included writing a letter of apology to the victim and taking part in a drug programme. If offenders do not comply with the conditions, they may be prosecuted for the original offence.
編註:英國的此項新措施與台灣的緩起訴(Suspended Prosecution )較為不同的地方是，第一，台灣的緩起訴設定有1至3年的期間。第二，再緩起訴期間再犯罪的話，仍會被撤銷緩起訴，而原犯之罪，以及再犯之罪均會被提起公訴。所以，並非被告一滿足緩起訴條件，就可以立即換得一個不進入法院的效果，而必須等到"觀察期"期滿，沒有再犯情形，才可以最終獲得一個全然的緩起訴結果。
Notes to Editors
Pre-trial witness interviews
1、The initial four pilot areas were Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria.
2、The evaluation report was published today and is available on our website in the Victims and Witnesses section - view Pre-trial witness interviews - Interviewing prosecution witnesses
Conditional Cautions (data from CPS Management Information Service as at February 2008)
3、The scheme was implemented by joint CPS/ACPO teams at local and national levels.
4、A total of 6,397 conditional cautions have been issued since the scheme began rolling out in April 2006.
5、The majority of conditions, just under 60%, were for compensation to victims. The second most common condition was a letter of apology in 15% of cases followed by participation in a drug intervention programme in just over 10% of cases.
6、Summary criminal or malicious damage offences, where the value of the damage is less than £500, make up the majority of cases where a conditional caution is used (47%) followed by common assault (11.7%) of cases.
7、A conditional caution has the effect of suspending the prosecution whilst the offender complies with appropriate conditions. If they successfully complete the conditions the caution stands and no action is taken over the prosecution, however if they do not comply the original prosecution goes ahead and the caution is of no effect.
8、Conditional cautions may only be used for a limited range of offences as specified by the DPP and only when the offender admits the offence and is willing to comply with certain conditions.
9、The Prosecutor has to be satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to charge the offence, that it is in the public interest to proceed by way of a conditional caution and that the case is appropriate for a conditional cautioning.
10、Conditional Cautions can work well alongside community and neighbourhood policing schemes and help to increase community and victim confidence in achieving a just and appropriate outcome quickly. Conditions can be:
Reparative (such as writing a letter of apology, repairing damage, paying compensation or undertaking unpaid work in the community if public or the wider community are the victims, or mediation between the offender and the victim)
Rehabilitative (attendance at drug or alcohol awareness session in an effort to halt the causes of the offending behaviour)
Restrictive (not to approach a particular area or person)
11、The Crown Prosecution Service is the Government Department responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales. It is responsible for:
Advising the police and reviewing the evidence on cases for possible prosecution;
Deciding the charge where the decision is to prosecute;
Preparing cases for court;
Presentation of cases at court;
The CPS consists of 42 Areas in total, each headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP). A telephone service, CPS Direct, provides out-of-hours advice and decisions to police officers across England and Wales. The CPS employs around 8,400 people and prosecuted 1,091,250 cases with an overall conviction rate of 83.7% in 2006-2007. Further information can be found on this website.
Media enquiries to CPS Press Office on 020 7796 8127.
http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/122_08.html last visited 2007.4.12
By Wan-Li Yang 2008.4.17
英國皇家檢察署於本月一日宣布將全面實施兩項關鍵性措施( CPS announces the roll out of two key justice initiatives)1 April 2008
英國皇家檢察署(CPS)於2008年4月1日正式宣布將在England以及威爾斯( Wales)地區全面實施兩項關鍵性措施,一為偵查中對證人之訊問(Pre-trial Interview),另一為類似附條件式緩起訴處分,簡稱為附條件式處遇( Conditional Cautions). 就偵查中對證人之訊問此一新措施,可使檢察官在案件進入法院之前,得以訊問證人.而在附條件處遇計畫下,較輕微的犯罪可因此免於進入法院(免於起訴)。
附條件式處遇( Conditional Cautions)主要目的在於改善對被害人的補償、降低再犯率，以及避免輕罪案件進入法院。Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald QC表示，因為附條件式的處遇目標在於針對適合的案件做出便捷且快速的決定，並藉諮詢被害人意見，將被害人的意見納入處遇計畫中而做出一些適合的"條件"，這樣的措施，使得附條件式處遇變得更加有意義。
附條件式處遇(Conditional Cautions)適用於非常廣泛的案件中，包括毀損案件、竊盜案件以及一些常見的傷害案件。大多的案件所附的條件都為要求被告支付被害人一定的賠償金額，另外有些條件還包括向被害人道歉，或者參加一些戒毒措施等。當然，如果被告沒有完成這些條件，就可能會被以原來所犯之罪名起訴。
The use of conditional cautions is aimed at improving victim satisfaction, reducing re-offending and diverting low-level offenders away from the courts.
Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Ken Macdonald QC said: "Conditional cautions make sense. They are intended to be a swift and speedy resolution to appropriate cases, following a consultation with the victim and taking into account their views when considering suitable cautions."
Conditional cautions are used in a wide range of cases, including criminal damage, theft and common assault. Most conditions require the offender to pay compensation. Other conditions have included writing a letter of apology to the victim and taking part in a drug programme. If offenders do not comply with the conditions, they may be prosecuted for the original offence.
編註:英國的此項新措施與台灣的緩起訴(Suspended Prosecution )較為不同的地方是，第一，台灣的緩起訴設定有1至3年的期間。第二，再緩起訴期間再犯罪的話，仍會被撤銷緩起訴，而原犯之罪，以及再犯之罪均會被提起公訴。所以，並非被告一滿足緩起訴條件，就可以立即換得一個不進入法院的效果，而必須等到"觀察期"期滿，沒有再犯情形，才可以最終獲得一個全然的緩起訴結果。
Notes to Editors
Pre-trial witness interviews
1、The initial four pilot areas were Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria.
2、The evaluation report was published today and is available on our website in the Victims and Witnesses section - view Pre-trial witness interviews - Interviewing prosecution witnesses
Conditional Cautions (data from CPS Management Information Service as at February 2008)
3、The scheme was implemented by joint CPS/ACPO teams at local and national levels.
4、A total of 6,397 conditional cautions have been issued since the scheme began rolling out in April 2006.
5、The majority of conditions, just under 60%, were for compensation to victims. The second most common condition was a letter of apology in 15% of cases followed by participation in a drug intervention programme in just over 10% of cases.
6、Summary criminal or malicious damage offences, where the value of the damage is less than £500, make up the majority of cases where a conditional caution is used (47%) followed by common assault (11.7%) of cases.
7、A conditional caution has the effect of suspending the prosecution whilst the offender complies with appropriate conditions. If they successfully complete the conditions the caution stands and no action is taken over the prosecution, however if they do not comply the original prosecution goes ahead and the caution is of no effect.
8、Conditional cautions may only be used for a limited range of offences as specified by the DPP and only when the offender admits the offence and is willing to comply with certain conditions.
9、The Prosecutor has to be satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to charge the offence, that it is in the public interest to proceed by way of a conditional caution and that the case is appropriate for a conditional cautioning.
10、Conditional Cautions can work well alongside community and neighbourhood policing schemes and help to increase community and victim confidence in achieving a just and appropriate outcome quickly. Conditions can be:
Reparative (such as writing a letter of apology, repairing damage, paying compensation or undertaking unpaid work in the community if public or the wider community are the victims, or mediation between the offender and the victim)
Rehabilitative (attendance at drug or alcohol awareness session in an effort to halt the causes of the offending behaviour)
Restrictive (not to approach a particular area or person)
11、The Crown Prosecution Service is the Government Department responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales. It is responsible for:
Advising the police and reviewing the evidence on cases for possible prosecution;
Deciding the charge where the decision is to prosecute;
Preparing cases for court;
Presentation of cases at court;
The CPS consists of 42 Areas in total, each headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP). A telephone service, CPS Direct, provides out-of-hours advice and decisions to police officers across England and Wales. The CPS employs around 8,400 people and prosecuted 1,091,250 cases with an overall conviction rate of 83.7% in 2006-2007. Further information can be found on this website.
Media enquiries to CPS Press Office on 020 7796 8127.
http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/122_08.html last visited 2007.4.12
By Wan-Li Yang 2008.4.17
2008年4月11日 星期五
CPS announces the roll out of two key justice initiatives
英國皇家檢察署於本月一日宣布將全面實施兩項關鍵性措施( CPS announces the roll out of two key justice initiatives)
1 April 2008
英國皇家檢察署(CPS)於2008年4月1日正式宣布將在England以及威爾斯( Wales)地區全面實施兩項關鍵性措施，一為偵查中對證人之訊問(Pre-trial Interview)，另一為類似附條件式緩起訴處分，簡稱為附條件式處遇( Conditional Caution)，就偵查中對證人之訊問此一新措施，可使檢察官在案件進入法院之前，得以訊問證人。而在附條件處遇計畫下，較輕微的犯罪可因此免於進入法院(免於起訴)。
The national roll-out of two new initiatives - pre-trial interviews with witnesses and conditional cautions - has now been completed across England and Wales. The pre-trial witness initiative enables prosecutors to interview witnesses before a trial begins and under the conditional cautioning scheme, low-level criminal cases can be diverted away from court.
英國皇家檢察署檢察長(The Director of Public Prosecutions) Ken Macdonald QC 表示，根據以往英國司法之制度,無論任何案件，(偵查中)檢察官是無法訊問證人的，是以，這次的偵查中訊問證人此一新的措施，使英國傳統的司法制度做了一些基本上的改變。 因此Ken Macdonald QC表示此項新措施將成為檢察官非常重要的關鍵偵查工具，得使檢察官就手上的刑事案件可以做出更加適切的決定，也因此可以更加確保檢察官起訴的是更加正確的對象以及更加精確的罪名。
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Macdonald QC said, "Pre-trial witness interviews represent a fundamental change to our legal system as prosecutors were not allowed to interview witnesses in any cases in England and Wales before these CPS pilots began. I consider witness interviews to be an essential tool to help prosecutors to make better informed decisions about criminal cases so that the right person is brought before the right court for the right offence."
偵查中訊問證人此一偵查技巧主要可以用以評價證人證詞之可信性，並幫助檢察官釐整複雜之證據，此外檢察官也可以藉此機會向證人解釋案件進入法院後的司法程序。偵查中詢問證人此一措施一開始是在2006年1月起先在四個CPS轄區中( Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria. )試行，而今年(2008)CPS已經決定將此一措施施行於全England 以及 Wales地區。
英國皇家檢察署乃是直到20世紀的80年代才成立，在此之前，英國均由警察在進行偵查以及決定是否將案件送入審判系統，是以，英國皇家檢察署成立後，雖然將一些重要案件攬在皇家檢察署，並由皇家檢察官決定是否起訴，然則，一如美國康州州檢察官制度，檢察官並沒有所謂正式的在偵查中訊問證人這樣的形式存在。在康州，檢察官在起訴案件前後當然可以訪談，但是與台灣非常不同的是，這樣的訪談非常簡單，無筆錄、錄音形式，更無地點的限制，所以在康州的New Haven州檢察官辦公室中，雖然有10餘位助理檢察官，但是整個辦公室僅有一位正式的Clerk，並無類似台灣的書記官，也就是每一位助理檢察官並沒有配置書記官的狀況。
而我國的檢察官，因為有起訴、不起訴、職權處分以及緩起訴等決定權，是以，他兼具了康州助理檢察官以及預審法官(Pretrial Judge)的特性，必須開庭，行一定形式的訊問，作證正式筆錄，來決定案件是否適宜為緩起訴等。因此，就英國皇家檢察署而言，偵查中訊問證人的這項措施，確實是大大的融合了英美檢察制度以及歐洲大陸法檢察制度的重要一步。
The evaluation report was published today and is available on our website in the Victims and Witnesses section - view Pre-trial witness interviews - Interviewing prosecution witnesses
The Crown Prosecution Service is the Government Department responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales. It is responsible for:
Advising the police and reviewing the evidence on cases for possible prosecution;
Deciding the charge where the decision is to prosecute;
Preparing cases for court;
Presentation of cases at court;
The CPS consists of 42 Areas in total, each headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP). A telephone service, CPS Direct, provides out-of-hours advice and decisions to police officers across England and Wales. The CPS employs around 8,400 people and prosecuted 1,091,250 cases with an overall conviction rate of 83.7% in 2006-2007. Further information can be found on this website.
Media enquiries to CPS Press Office on 020 7796 8127.
資料來源:http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/122_08.html last visited 2007.4.12
BY WAN-LI YANG 2007.4.12
1 April 2008
英國皇家檢察署(CPS)於2008年4月1日正式宣布將在England以及威爾斯( Wales)地區全面實施兩項關鍵性措施，一為偵查中對證人之訊問(Pre-trial Interview)，另一為類似附條件式緩起訴處分，簡稱為附條件式處遇( Conditional Caution)，就偵查中對證人之訊問此一新措施，可使檢察官在案件進入法院之前，得以訊問證人。而在附條件處遇計畫下，較輕微的犯罪可因此免於進入法院(免於起訴)。
The national roll-out of two new initiatives - pre-trial interviews with witnesses and conditional cautions - has now been completed across England and Wales. The pre-trial witness initiative enables prosecutors to interview witnesses before a trial begins and under the conditional cautioning scheme, low-level criminal cases can be diverted away from court.
英國皇家檢察署檢察長(The Director of Public Prosecutions) Ken Macdonald QC 表示，根據以往英國司法之制度,無論任何案件，(偵查中)檢察官是無法訊問證人的，是以，這次的偵查中訊問證人此一新的措施，使英國傳統的司法制度做了一些基本上的改變。 因此Ken Macdonald QC表示此項新措施將成為檢察官非常重要的關鍵偵查工具，得使檢察官就手上的刑事案件可以做出更加適切的決定，也因此可以更加確保檢察官起訴的是更加正確的對象以及更加精確的罪名。
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Macdonald QC said, "Pre-trial witness interviews represent a fundamental change to our legal system as prosecutors were not allowed to interview witnesses in any cases in England and Wales before these CPS pilots began. I consider witness interviews to be an essential tool to help prosecutors to make better informed decisions about criminal cases so that the right person is brought before the right court for the right offence."
偵查中訊問證人此一偵查技巧主要可以用以評價證人證詞之可信性，並幫助檢察官釐整複雜之證據，此外檢察官也可以藉此機會向證人解釋案件進入法院後的司法程序。偵查中詢問證人此一措施一開始是在2006年1月起先在四個CPS轄區中( Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria. )試行，而今年(2008)CPS已經決定將此一措施施行於全England 以及 Wales地區。
英國皇家檢察署乃是直到20世紀的80年代才成立，在此之前，英國均由警察在進行偵查以及決定是否將案件送入審判系統，是以，英國皇家檢察署成立後，雖然將一些重要案件攬在皇家檢察署，並由皇家檢察官決定是否起訴，然則，一如美國康州州檢察官制度，檢察官並沒有所謂正式的在偵查中訊問證人這樣的形式存在。在康州，檢察官在起訴案件前後當然可以訪談，但是與台灣非常不同的是，這樣的訪談非常簡單，無筆錄、錄音形式，更無地點的限制，所以在康州的New Haven州檢察官辦公室中，雖然有10餘位助理檢察官，但是整個辦公室僅有一位正式的Clerk，並無類似台灣的書記官，也就是每一位助理檢察官並沒有配置書記官的狀況。
而我國的檢察官，因為有起訴、不起訴、職權處分以及緩起訴等決定權，是以，他兼具了康州助理檢察官以及預審法官(Pretrial Judge)的特性，必須開庭，行一定形式的訊問，作證正式筆錄，來決定案件是否適宜為緩起訴等。因此，就英國皇家檢察署而言，偵查中訊問證人的這項措施，確實是大大的融合了英美檢察制度以及歐洲大陸法檢察制度的重要一步。
The evaluation report was published today and is available on our website in the Victims and Witnesses section - view Pre-trial witness interviews - Interviewing prosecution witnesses
The Crown Prosecution Service is the Government Department responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales. It is responsible for:
Advising the police and reviewing the evidence on cases for possible prosecution;
Deciding the charge where the decision is to prosecute;
Preparing cases for court;
Presentation of cases at court;
The CPS consists of 42 Areas in total, each headed by a Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP). A telephone service, CPS Direct, provides out-of-hours advice and decisions to police officers across England and Wales. The CPS employs around 8,400 people and prosecuted 1,091,250 cases with an overall conviction rate of 83.7% in 2006-2007. Further information can be found on this website.
Media enquiries to CPS Press Office on 020 7796 8127.
資料來源:http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/122_08.html last visited 2007.4.12
BY WAN-LI YANG 2007.4.12
2008年3月21日 星期五
Kaohsiung Prosecutors' Office
Kaohsiung Prosecutors' Office Profile/ Kaohsiung District Attorney Office
(Photo:http://www.ksc.moj.gov.tw/mp115.html The original building housing the Kaohsiung District Court and Kaohsiung Prosecutors' Office was demolished in 1986)
(Photo:http://www.ksc.moj.gov.tw/mp115.html The original building housing the Kaohsiung District Court and Kaohsiung Prosecutors' Office was demolished in 1986)
Structure
As with a number of State Attorneys' Offices in the US, the District Court and the District Prosecutors' Office share the same building. However, due to the historical influence of the Japanese-German justice model in Taiwan, the District Court and the District Prosecutors' Office share an almost equal space within one building. That is to say, the Prosecutors' office not occupy simply a small part of the building but almost half of it.
Workload / Caseload
In general, once a criminal activity has been reported by the agent or a complaint has been made by the individual, prosecutors have no leeway to decide whether or not to take the case. No discretion is allowed in the selection of case. What is the effect of this? In 2004, the population of Kaohsiung City was 1,512,677, while a further1,238,925 people lived in Kaohsiung County. In the same year in Kaohsiung Prosecutor's Office( Kaohsiung District Attorney Office) there were 47,924 criminal cases, 27,907 enforcement cases and 126,654 other cases, including civil complaints or criminal cases which hadn't been proved or for evidence hadn't been found. The number of prosecutors working in the Kaohsiung Prosecutors' Office((the Kaohsiung Distirct Attorney Office) was between eighty and ninety in 2004. The inevitable result is a very heavy workload.
As with a number of State Attorneys' Offices in the US, the District Court and the District Prosecutors' Office share the same building. However, due to the historical influence of the Japanese-German justice model in Taiwan, the District Court and the District Prosecutors' Office share an almost equal space within one building. That is to say, the Prosecutors' office not occupy simply a small part of the building but almost half of it.
Workload / Caseload
In general, once a criminal activity has been reported by the agent or a complaint has been made by the individual, prosecutors have no leeway to decide whether or not to take the case. No discretion is allowed in the selection of case. What is the effect of this? In 2004, the population of Kaohsiung City was 1,512,677, while a further1,238,925 people lived in Kaohsiung County. In the same year in Kaohsiung Prosecutor's Office( Kaohsiung District Attorney Office) there were 47,924 criminal cases, 27,907 enforcement cases and 126,654 other cases, including civil complaints or criminal cases which hadn't been proved or for evidence hadn't been found. The number of prosecutors working in the Kaohsiung Prosecutors' Office((the Kaohsiung Distirct Attorney Office) was between eighty and ninety in 2004. The inevitable result is a very heavy workload.
(see http://www.ksc.moj.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=32480&ctNode=13353&mp=021, 2008/3/21 reviewed.)
Division of Duties
Since 2003, the Kaohsiung Prosecutors' Office (the Kaohsiung District Attorney Office) has embrassed the cross examination process. This indicates that Taiwanese Criminal Procedure is moving away from the Japanese-German justice model and closer to the American Criminal Justice system. How can an old continental legal system restruture itself to accommodate a brand new American-Hollywood-style cross examination? Well, a lot of different things have happened, but I prefer to leave this to the reader's imagination. Returning to the subject of workload, once the Judicial Yuan had decided to install this new system, the most crucial aspect for Prosecution System was manpower. Unles the Prosecutors' office( District Attorney Office) doubled its manpower the whole criminal justice system might collapse.
As a result, each local Prosecutors' office now has two main sessions. One, the so called 'cross examination' session represents the public's interest in court of justice. The other, the so called 'investigation session' carries out the traditional duty of intensive investigation, to prove that an individual or company has committed a crime. To do this successfully, a lot of tasks are required - pre-interviewing witness, interrogating defedants, checking evidence. Furthermore, the investigation session is itself divided into 10 unions, for example the IP Crime Unit, the Drug related Unit and the Anti-corruption Unit. The investigation session conducts its investigation and oversees cases reported by the police, and once the investigation-prosecutor has decided that a case is ready for court, he or she will file information and all evidence, then the 'cross examination' session will assign a prosecutor to present the facts to between one and three judges in a court of law.
Division of Duties
Since 2003, the Kaohsiung Prosecutors' Office (the Kaohsiung District Attorney Office) has embrassed the cross examination process. This indicates that Taiwanese Criminal Procedure is moving away from the Japanese-German justice model and closer to the American Criminal Justice system. How can an old continental legal system restruture itself to accommodate a brand new American-Hollywood-style cross examination? Well, a lot of different things have happened, but I prefer to leave this to the reader's imagination. Returning to the subject of workload, once the Judicial Yuan had decided to install this new system, the most crucial aspect for Prosecution System was manpower. Unles the Prosecutors' office( District Attorney Office) doubled its manpower the whole criminal justice system might collapse.
As a result, each local Prosecutors' office now has two main sessions. One, the so called 'cross examination' session represents the public's interest in court of justice. The other, the so called 'investigation session' carries out the traditional duty of intensive investigation, to prove that an individual or company has committed a crime. To do this successfully, a lot of tasks are required - pre-interviewing witness, interrogating defedants, checking evidence. Furthermore, the investigation session is itself divided into 10 unions, for example the IP Crime Unit, the Drug related Unit and the Anti-corruption Unit. The investigation session conducts its investigation and oversees cases reported by the police, and once the investigation-prosecutor has decided that a case is ready for court, he or she will file information and all evidence, then the 'cross examination' session will assign a prosecutor to present the facts to between one and three judges in a court of law.
The Kaohsiung District Attorneys' Office/ The Taiwan Kaohsiung District Court
No.188, Hedong Rd., Cianjin District, Kaohsiung City 801, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
80122
Tel: +886-7-2161468Ext.3310 / 886-7-2161418
No.188, Hedong Rd., Cianjin District, Kaohsiung City 801, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
80122
Tel: +886-7-2161468Ext.3310 / 886-7-2161418
Business Hours:
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Directions: (map of Taiwan maps.google.com.tw)
<http://maps.google.com.tw/maps/mm?f=q&q=&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=22.626053,120.289395&spn=0.005734,0.00942&z=17>
<http://maps.google.com.tw/maps/mm?f=q&q=&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=22.626053,120.289395&spn=0.005734,0.00942&z=17>
2008.3.21 By Wan-Li Yang
2007年10月18日 星期四
DUI Lawyers
Despite the uncertainty above(What Happens in DUI Trial), even though the consequences of DUI cases might be severe. Taiwanese defendants accused of drunk driving rarely hire DUI lawyers to represent them in pretrial or trial procedures, and DUI lawyers are not as common as their American counterparts. However, it is wise to consult a local lawyer who knows the courts, the laws and your rights. If you think you may need assistance in your drunk driving case, contact an attorney for help. Alternatively, call the local DMV office or porsecutors office for help.
DMV office:
Kaohsiung Office of Motor Vehicles
Taipei DMV office
DMV record：
https://www.mvdis.gov.tw/wps/portal( in Chinese version)
DMV practice test:
http://www.thb.gov.tw/cai/default.htm( in Chinese version)
Wan-Li Yang 2007/10/19 Taiwan/ Kaohsiung
DMV office:
Kaohsiung Office of Motor Vehicles
Taipei DMV office
DMV record：
https://www.mvdis.gov.tw/wps/portal( in Chinese version)
DMV practice test:
http://www.thb.gov.tw/cai/default.htm( in Chinese version)
Wan-Li Yang 2007/10/19 Taiwan/ Kaohsiung
2007年10月10日 星期三
What Happens in a drink driving case in Taiwan?( DUI Laws)
Taiwan Traffic regulations ( DUI Laws) state that drivers must not drive when their breath alcohol level exceeds 0.25 mg/l. A driver who violates this regulation will receive a fine from the DMV of between NT$15000-60000, and will have his/her license suspended for one year. The driving ban takes immediate effect. Further, if the driver's alcohol level exceeds 0.55 mg/l, in addition to the find and driving ban, he/she will also be charged by the local prosecutor's office with violating public order, a charge which could lead to a jail stentence. Such cases will be dealt with in one of the following ways:
1. where appropriate, the prosecutor may decide to dismiss the public violation charge. This is very rare and at the discretion of the prosecutor, but may happen in the following circumstances:
(1) the driver did not injure anoter party and can prove that his/her contribution to society, for example, he/she is charity worker and has no criminal record; 'balances' the negative behavior.
(2) the driver did not injure another party, but was himself/herself seriously injured.
It should be stressed again that dismissal is extremely rare.
2. the prosecutor may decide to defer the case for one to three years, if the driver offers to make a donation to an NGO, carries out 40 to 250 hours of social work, or a third party has been injured but the compensation deal has already be settled. However, the following points should be noted:
(1) the donation is made to an NGO and cannot be deducted from the DMV fine.
(2) a deferral amounts to pretrial probation. If the driver commits any further crime during the probation period, the deferral order may be revoked and the case charged as normal.
3. the prosecutor may decide to prosecte the case. This could be for the following reasons:
(1) the driver fails to appear for interview (pretrial hearing) without reasonable explanation.
(2) the alcohol level is too high for the charge to be dropped (nolle ) or deferred.
(3) a third party has been injured, and no compensation deal has been settled.
----------
If a DUI case is prosecuted, the following outcomes are possible:
1. a verdict of not guilty-extremely rare.
2. a verdict of guilty with a sentence as follows:
(1) a fine.
(2) detention of 1 to 59 days-- the imprisonment might be converted into a fine.
(3) penal servitude of 2 to 12 months--the imprisonment might be converted into a fine, only if he/she get a under 6 months jail period.
Naturally, the disadvantage of being sentenced is that the defendant not only has a criminal record, but also takes the risk of being sent to jail. Therefore, dirvers are strongly urged to show up for their interview or pretrial hearing. See 3.(1) above.
(next:DUI Lawyer:http://wanliyang.blogspot.com/2007/10/dui-lawyers.html)
WanLi Yang 2007/10/11 Taiwan
1. where appropriate, the prosecutor may decide to dismiss the public violation charge. This is very rare and at the discretion of the prosecutor, but may happen in the following circumstances:
(1) the driver did not injure anoter party and can prove that his/her contribution to society, for example, he/she is charity worker and has no criminal record; 'balances' the negative behavior.
(2) the driver did not injure another party, but was himself/herself seriously injured.
It should be stressed again that dismissal is extremely rare.
2. the prosecutor may decide to defer the case for one to three years, if the driver offers to make a donation to an NGO, carries out 40 to 250 hours of social work, or a third party has been injured but the compensation deal has already be settled. However, the following points should be noted:
(1) the donation is made to an NGO and cannot be deducted from the DMV fine.
(2) a deferral amounts to pretrial probation. If the driver commits any further crime during the probation period, the deferral order may be revoked and the case charged as normal.
3. the prosecutor may decide to prosecte the case. This could be for the following reasons:
(1) the driver fails to appear for interview (pretrial hearing) without reasonable explanation.
(2) the alcohol level is too high for the charge to be dropped (nolle ) or deferred.
(3) a third party has been injured, and no compensation deal has been settled.
----------
If a DUI case is prosecuted, the following outcomes are possible:
1. a verdict of not guilty-extremely rare.
2. a verdict of guilty with a sentence as follows:
(1) a fine.
(2) detention of 1 to 59 days-- the imprisonment might be converted into a fine.
(3) penal servitude of 2 to 12 months--the imprisonment might be converted into a fine, only if he/she get a under 6 months jail period.
Naturally, the disadvantage of being sentenced is that the defendant not only has a criminal record, but also takes the risk of being sent to jail. Therefore, dirvers are strongly urged to show up for their interview or pretrial hearing. See 3.(1) above.
(next:DUI Lawyer:http://wanliyang.blogspot.com/2007/10/dui-lawyers.html)
WanLi Yang 2007/10/11 Taiwan
2007年6月7日 星期四
CIA, Italian Intelligence Kidnapping Trial
CIA, Italian Intel Kidnapping Trial to Start in Italy
"The trial of several CIA and Italian intelligence officers is set to begin Friday in Italy. Prosecutors say the officers kidnapped an Islamic cleric in Milan and transported him to Egypt, where he said he was tortured. This is the first trial associated with the CIA's policy of "extraordinary rendition." All 26 American defendants will be tried in absentia." (NPR 2007.6.7)
美國CIA幹員據悉依據所謂的"extraordinary rendition"政策與義大利情治人員在2003義大利米蘭境內，沒有持任何拘票即在一位幕斯林被害人家中將人抓走，而且逕行將人送出國境，關入位於埃及的美軍涉於埃及的秘密監獄長達十四個月之久。
義大利檢察官針對本案的調查，同時也在義大利境內引發"行政權"與"司法權 "衝突之爭。
本案義大利檢察官在一連串長期而且所費不貲的循線調查(飯店、機票與電話號碼等)而得以確定嫌疑人後，已經就本案針對CIA以綁架罪名( Kidnaping)起訴且經法官簽發起訴書，法官表示沒有經過法定程序拘捕並將人關於秘密監獄的行為就是綁架，而且根本無法改善或報障國家安全，明天法院就會依據"缺席審判"程序開始審判。
本件被害人表示被關的十四個月期間還被CIA刑求。相對於檢察官對美國傷害民主法治、義大利境內的弱勢團體的指摘，義大利政府目前就相對保守了，政府表示對美國CIA在其境內活動一事均不知情。當然美國就此案仍然保持高調，表示本案審判顯然會傷害美國的國家秘密。不過，Human Right Watch的NGOs也有插一腳，出面譴責美國的秘密活動嚴重傷害人權。
歐盟已經據新聞預測，預料應在明天( 2007.6.8)公開美國在歐盟境內抓人的相關報告了。
註:義大利司法官有三種，Prosecutors, preliminary investigaiton judges, and trial judges. 所以上開簽發起訴書的應該是preliminary investigation judges. see Elisabetta Grande, Italian Criminal Justice: Borrowing and Resistance, 48 Am. J. Comp. L. 227.
台灣的司法體制，只要將人犯通緝就可以在行政程序上加以結案，這種通緝當然是必須基於刑事訴訟法的法定程序，但是，通緝後能否繼續審判? 法律似乎也沒有明確明文禁止? 僅有一些行政程序"簡便"讓司法人員得以"結案"。其實，如果案件一概都能未經通緝即起訴或判決，當然與追求真實與正義的目標不符; 相反的，如果案件被告都已經開過庭，只是因為調查、審判時間拉長、司法官輪調換人等因素使被告被逸脫，能否再以通緝結案? 這可能要多加考慮，否則，一些經濟要犯，逸出國境後，不適度尋求國際協助，就一概以通緝結案，長久下來，實會導致有司法公信力下沉，沒能力逃逸的被關，有能力的繼續在外國消遙的怪現象。
Wan-Li Yang
2007.6.7
"The trial of several CIA and Italian intelligence officers is set to begin Friday in Italy. Prosecutors say the officers kidnapped an Islamic cleric in Milan and transported him to Egypt, where he said he was tortured. This is the first trial associated with the CIA's policy of "extraordinary rendition." All 26 American defendants will be tried in absentia." (NPR 2007.6.7)
美國CIA幹員據悉依據所謂的"extraordinary rendition"政策與義大利情治人員在2003義大利米蘭境內，沒有持任何拘票即在一位幕斯林被害人家中將人抓走，而且逕行將人送出國境，關入位於埃及的美軍涉於埃及的秘密監獄長達十四個月之久。
義大利檢察官針對本案的調查，同時也在義大利境內引發"行政權"與"司法權 "衝突之爭。
本案義大利檢察官在一連串長期而且所費不貲的循線調查(飯店、機票與電話號碼等)而得以確定嫌疑人後，已經就本案針對CIA以綁架罪名( Kidnaping)起訴且經法官簽發起訴書，法官表示沒有經過法定程序拘捕並將人關於秘密監獄的行為就是綁架，而且根本無法改善或報障國家安全，明天法院就會依據"缺席審判"程序開始審判。
本件被害人表示被關的十四個月期間還被CIA刑求。相對於檢察官對美國傷害民主法治、義大利境內的弱勢團體的指摘，義大利政府目前就相對保守了，政府表示對美國CIA在其境內活動一事均不知情。當然美國就此案仍然保持高調，表示本案審判顯然會傷害美國的國家秘密。不過，Human Right Watch的NGOs也有插一腳，出面譴責美國的秘密活動嚴重傷害人權。
歐盟已經據新聞預測，預料應在明天( 2007.6.8)公開美國在歐盟境內抓人的相關報告了。
註:義大利司法官有三種，Prosecutors, preliminary investigaiton judges, and trial judges. 所以上開簽發起訴書的應該是preliminary investigation judges. see Elisabetta Grande, Italian Criminal Justice: Borrowing and Resistance, 48 Am. J. Comp. L. 227.
台灣的司法體制，只要將人犯通緝就可以在行政程序上加以結案，這種通緝當然是必須基於刑事訴訟法的法定程序，但是，通緝後能否繼續審判? 法律似乎也沒有明確明文禁止? 僅有一些行政程序"簡便"讓司法人員得以"結案"。其實，如果案件一概都能未經通緝即起訴或判決，當然與追求真實與正義的目標不符; 相反的，如果案件被告都已經開過庭，只是因為調查、審判時間拉長、司法官輪調換人等因素使被告被逸脫，能否再以通緝結案? 這可能要多加考慮，否則，一些經濟要犯，逸出國境後，不適度尋求國際協助，就一概以通緝結案，長久下來，實會導致有司法公信力下沉，沒能力逃逸的被關，有能力的繼續在外國消遙的怪現象。
Wan-Li Yang
2007.6.7
2007年5月31日 星期四
European Security Officials Critical of U.S.
European Security Officials Critical of U.S.
May 31, 2007 · Many European security officials were highly critical of the U.S. for not sharing evidence they say is crucial for investigations and trials. Spain and Italy also rejected the U.S. military response to terrorism and insisted the best methods come from the criminal justice system. (~From NPR 2007.5.31)
自從布希以Military Commissions Act.反將最高法院一軍後，美國反恐勢力愈來越誇張, 成立越來越多的秘密軍事法庭，在各國轄區抓人家的公民，而且一抓就是送入美國自己的祕密軍事法庭，這些軍事法庭均不適用due process與fair trial，甚至沒有律師，正常的聯邦法院也都無法審理這些案件。
針對這種情形的批評，不再限於美國境內的教授、記者開罵了，這次般上國際檯面，而且還是原本應該是同一陣線的歐盟執法人員，由他們首先開砲。
在今年五月份的一場由NYU主辦而且針對執法人員的反恐會議中，美國的反恐政策與手段，終於引發歐洲，尤其是南 歐的西班牙與義大利 檢察官的強烈不滿。
兩國的執法人員均強烈質疑美國的執法方式，表示這些反恐與取締行動均應遵守刑事正義，在criminal justice之內進行，並適用正當程序due process等。一位義大利司法官，曾經起訴美國26 CIA在伊朗綁架慕斯蘭人的檢察官，表示美國未經任何程序直接將人抓入拘留所的行為根本無法被接受。另外，西班牙檢察官也支持這樣的看法，甚至認為布希在各地的拘留所，尤其是"關塔那摩"軍事基地(Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.) 裡的拘留所，黑暗的處所，廣泛的侵害人權。而且他們甚至具體引據個案，來指責美國US不願、刻意遲延與歐洲分享恐怖份子資料的態度，以及due process。他們強調，指有遵守rule of law才能在歐洲對慕斯蘭的少數民族建立起真正的信心與信賴、幕斯蘭的年輕人才不會往卡達組織靠攏。
英國UK則表示，雖然英國也是恐怖份子攻擊的目標，但是UK override concern，However,他也指出人民對執法人員的強烈不信任，在UK加入US攻打Iraq陣線後更形嚴重，人民嚴重不信任情報員，甚至引起政治陣線的分離。
NYU Law School教授說反恐沒有人說他成功，美國必須重新審查其反恐政策。
US官方則希望能在同盟中重建信心(rebuilt trust)、恢復雙方的緊密關係。
在這樣的反恐潮流中，終於由一群執法人員出來批評美國的反恐政策，我們看到的不僅是歐盟檢察官們對自己責任的期待，對境內少數民族的關懷，更看到他們在國際政治中的高度。
台灣呢?
有沒有人爲這種國際政策下的不公發出聲音?
Wan-Li Yang 2007.05.31
May 31, 2007 · Many European security officials were highly critical of the U.S. for not sharing evidence they say is crucial for investigations and trials. Spain and Italy also rejected the U.S. military response to terrorism and insisted the best methods come from the criminal justice system. (~From NPR 2007.5.31)
自從布希以Military Commissions Act.反將最高法院一軍後，美國反恐勢力愈來越誇張, 成立越來越多的秘密軍事法庭，在各國轄區抓人家的公民，而且一抓就是送入美國自己的祕密軍事法庭，這些軍事法庭均不適用due process與fair trial，甚至沒有律師，正常的聯邦法院也都無法審理這些案件。
針對這種情形的批評，不再限於美國境內的教授、記者開罵了，這次般上國際檯面，而且還是原本應該是同一陣線的歐盟執法人員，由他們首先開砲。
在今年五月份的一場由NYU主辦而且針對執法人員的反恐會議中，美國的反恐政策與手段，終於引發歐洲，尤其是南 歐的西班牙與義大利 檢察官的強烈不滿。
兩國的執法人員均強烈質疑美國的執法方式，表示這些反恐與取締行動均應遵守刑事正義，在criminal justice之內進行，並適用正當程序due process等。一位義大利司法官，曾經起訴美國26 CIA在伊朗綁架慕斯蘭人的檢察官，表示美國未經任何程序直接將人抓入拘留所的行為根本無法被接受。另外，西班牙檢察官也支持這樣的看法，甚至認為布希在各地的拘留所，尤其是"關塔那摩"軍事基地(Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.) 裡的拘留所，黑暗的處所，廣泛的侵害人權。而且他們甚至具體引據個案，來指責美國US不願、刻意遲延與歐洲分享恐怖份子資料的態度，以及due process。他們強調，指有遵守rule of law才能在歐洲對慕斯蘭的少數民族建立起真正的信心與信賴、幕斯蘭的年輕人才不會往卡達組織靠攏。
英國UK則表示，雖然英國也是恐怖份子攻擊的目標，但是UK override concern，However,他也指出人民對執法人員的強烈不信任，在UK加入US攻打Iraq陣線後更形嚴重，人民嚴重不信任情報員，甚至引起政治陣線的分離。
NYU Law School教授說反恐沒有人說他成功，美國必須重新審查其反恐政策。
US官方則希望能在同盟中重建信心(rebuilt trust)、恢復雙方的緊密關係。
在這樣的反恐潮流中，終於由一群執法人員出來批評美國的反恐政策，我們看到的不僅是歐盟檢察官們對自己責任的期待，對境內少數民族的關懷，更看到他們在國際政治中的高度。
台灣呢?
有沒有人爲這種國際政策下的不公發出聲音?
Wan-Li Yang 2007.05.31
2007年4月13日 星期五
Find Taiwan Court Cases
How to find Taiwan Court Cases?
Taiwan Online Court Cases Data Bank
This website contains almost every cases in Taiwan since 1999, except sexual abuse cases. It also provides online full-text court cases which including civil court cases, criminal court cases and administration court cases. The most amazing thing is that it also collects cases from different level of courts including the Supreme court, Appeal court(Taiwan High Court) and District Court, and it is free, online and full-text.
Taiwan Online Court Cases Data Bank
This website contains almost every cases in Taiwan since 1999, except sexual abuse cases. It also provides online full-text court cases which including civil court cases, criminal court cases and administration court cases. The most amazing thing is that it also collects cases from different level of courts including the Supreme court, Appeal court(Taiwan High Court) and District Court, and it is free, online and full-text.
However, it provides tradtional Chinese only.
This website was supervised by Judicial Yaun, so researchers can regard it an official website. In practice, local lawyers or both parties use it as a "win-rate data bank" from case outcomes. If lawyers or people are good at this research tool, it is fair to say, he or she can roughly predicts what kind of risk his or her case might has. As researchers, they prefer to analyze the legal issues by it's great keyword function and fast speed. As a prosecutor, I prefer to discuss the result of cases with defense lawyer in order to have reasonable pleas and sentence.
This website was supervised by Judicial Yaun, so researchers can regard it an official website. In practice, local lawyers or both parties use it as a "win-rate data bank" from case outcomes. If lawyers or people are good at this research tool, it is fair to say, he or she can roughly predicts what kind of risk his or her case might has. As researchers, they prefer to analyze the legal issues by it's great keyword function and fast speed. As a prosecutor, I prefer to discuss the result of cases with defense lawyer in order to have reasonable pleas and sentence.
By Wan-Li Yang
2007.4.13
rewrite 2010.6.14
2007年4月2日 星期一
New Haven犯罪問題:耶魯大學附近治安狀況
New Haven犯罪問題:耶魯大學附近治安狀況
New Haven Crime Rate
The first 3 months of 2007 saw a decline in overall crime in New Haven Connecticut, but non-lethal shootings were up, following a trend that started late last year, police officials announced Mondat.
Overrall crime for the first quarter of 2007 was down by 6% compared to the same period last year, New Haven Police Department Chief Francisco Oritiz and Mayor John DeStefano said at a press cnference. Notably, there were no homicides, compared to 5 the first quarter of 2006. But the first quarter of 2007 was marked by continued increase in both assualf and non-letheal shootings, problems that Ortiz said the NHPD hopes to remedy with increased community outreach. (From Yale News Tuesday, April 3, 2007)
New Haven 治安(耶魯大學校園附近治安狀況)
由於Yale Law School 裏的ㄧ個program,所以不顧家人的強烈concern參加了ride along的New Haven夜間巡邏。參加前對New Haven的治安，就"聞名"已久，New Haven Register毎天頭版幾乎都是刑事案件，犯罪問題在late 2005-early 2006尤其嚴重，犯罪率(crime rate)據稱是全美第六糟的城市。
雖然在A Taiwanese in New Haven一文寫到:"少數的幾個好區被壞區包圍著，有時候過了一條街就可以明顯感覺到環境的改變"，形容了耶魯大學以及New Haven治安狀況，但是ㄧ個晚上巡邏下來，我還是覺得這樣的形容不夠貼切，或許正確的說法可以改成:一個好區整個被壞區給整個包圍住，這樣才夠傳神。
毒品犯罪與槍枝犯罪均坐落在固定的neighborhood:
雖然耶魯大學花很多精神維護學生的安全，security Yale program中提供了免費的校車巡迴校園，入夜之後還有免費的護送服務，耶魯法學院(Yale Law School)還有自己的夜間專用Shuttle給 law Yale用，但還是無法避免校園內犯罪的發生。
我們在巡邏當中，就在離Yale university不遠的Howe street & Whalley Ave後面的街道上，就親眼目睹了有人在日落前在街道上留Pitbull dog, 若非當晚警員傑夫特別提醒我那是一隻Pitbull，我還沒有特別注意到，他告訴我幫派與Drug dealer都有那種狗，作為攻擊用啦(好特殊,不過~~~)。
社區、犯罪與少年犯罪問題關係密切:
另外我們還巡邏到離Yale很近約計15分鐘車程就到了的南康乃狄克州立大學（Southern Connecticut State University）,因為Southern Connecticut State University有自己的獨立校區，不像Yale university是個大學城，校區就落點在down town裡面，所以整體感覺還算好;但是出了南康大校區之後那可就又大不同了，Brookside與 Westville_Manor就在學校旁, 而Brookside Ave一整批都是荒廢掉的國民住宅，整排的上百戶國民住宅門窗都被封鎖著，看得另人瞠目結舌，Westville Manor也好不到哪裡去，毎個corner都聚集了五到十個的teenage，警車經過時每個teenage都停下來看我們，這讓我想到前一周看到的T.D. Case，心情很沉重，這些teenage怎麼擺脫掉這種被注定的命運呢?( 傑夫直接了當說:永遠不可能。好狠 ㄚ!)
(看到此文,請勿爲了好奇經過,該附近不是"治安不好'就可以形容的)。
這兩個社區曾經都有極高的犯罪率，在與老闆Michael Dearington討論T.D. case時也一併向他報告親眼所見，Michael向我解釋，這兩個國民住宅的興建，是在十五年前當時的市長因決心拆遷坐落在downtown的壞社區，而新建這兩個坐落在downtown外圍的國民住宅，將poor遷出New Haven downtown試圖解決downtown的犯罪率問題，不過，十五年過後，證實該計畫完全不可行，因為國民住宅聚居了poor有極高犯罪率，而且居民不在意住屋的維護，因此淪為犯罪天堂，不到十五年，整批國民住宅被迫必須全部封閉。
另外,較為值得觀察的還包括New Haven警局的巡邏規劃，是由個別的警員駕駛巡邏車巡邏，所以非兩人一組,警用電腦據傑夫說是非常穩定,而且還可以即時收email(因為惡性難改~~~我問傑夫可否拍攝警車照片,所以傑夫就很謹慎的發EMAIL問他的主管,他的主管就"即時"EMAIL回覆,不但說YES,還順便說她會Show up in 5 minute,因此才觀察到這台電腦的"人性化"一面)
New Haven治安(耶魯大學治安狀況):
http://www.newhavencrimelog.org/ (可查詢New Haven住家附近犯罪紀錄，很神！)
http://www.wenhui.ch/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=737 (寫出市民小小無奈，並提及了New Haven crime rate)
By Wan-Li Yang 2007/04/02
New Haven Crime Rate
The first 3 months of 2007 saw a decline in overall crime in New Haven Connecticut, but non-lethal shootings were up, following a trend that started late last year, police officials announced Mondat.
Overrall crime for the first quarter of 2007 was down by 6% compared to the same period last year, New Haven Police Department Chief Francisco Oritiz and Mayor John DeStefano said at a press cnference. Notably, there were no homicides, compared to 5 the first quarter of 2006. But the first quarter of 2007 was marked by continued increase in both assualf and non-letheal shootings, problems that Ortiz said the NHPD hopes to remedy with increased community outreach. (From Yale News Tuesday, April 3, 2007)
New Haven 治安(耶魯大學校園附近治安狀況)
由於Yale Law School 裏的ㄧ個program,所以不顧家人的強烈concern參加了ride along的New Haven夜間巡邏。參加前對New Haven的治安，就"聞名"已久，New Haven Register毎天頭版幾乎都是刑事案件，犯罪問題在late 2005-early 2006尤其嚴重，犯罪率(crime rate)據稱是全美第六糟的城市。雖然在A Taiwanese in New Haven一文寫到:"少數的幾個好區被壞區包圍著，有時候過了一條街就可以明顯感覺到環境的改變"，形容了耶魯大學以及New Haven治安狀況，但是ㄧ個晚上巡邏下來，我還是覺得這樣的形容不夠貼切，或許正確的說法可以改成:一個好區整個被壞區給整個包圍住，這樣才夠傳神。
毒品犯罪與槍枝犯罪均坐落在固定的neighborhood:
雖然耶魯大學花很多精神維護學生的安全，security Yale program中提供了免費的校車巡迴校園，入夜之後還有免費的護送服務，耶魯法學院(Yale Law School)還有自己的夜間專用Shuttle給 law Yale用，但還是無法避免校園內犯罪的發生。
我們在巡邏當中，就在離Yale university不遠的Howe street & Whalley Ave後面的街道上，就親眼目睹了有人在日落前在街道上留Pitbull dog, 若非當晚警員傑夫特別提醒我那是一隻Pitbull，我還沒有特別注意到，他告訴我幫派與Drug dealer都有那種狗，作為攻擊用啦(好特殊,不過~~~)。
社區、犯罪與少年犯罪問題關係密切:
另外我們還巡邏到離Yale很近約計15分鐘車程就到了的南康乃狄克州立大學（Southern Connecticut State University）,因為Southern Connecticut State University有自己的獨立校區，不像Yale university是個大學城，校區就落點在down town裡面，所以整體感覺還算好;但是出了南康大校區之後那可就又大不同了，Brookside與 Westville_Manor就在學校旁, 而Brookside Ave一整批都是荒廢掉的國民住宅，整排的上百戶國民住宅門窗都被封鎖著，看得另人瞠目結舌，Westville Manor也好不到哪裡去，毎個corner都聚集了五到十個的teenage，警車經過時每個teenage都停下來看我們，這讓我想到前一周看到的T.D. Case，心情很沉重，這些teenage怎麼擺脫掉這種被注定的命運呢?( 傑夫直接了當說:永遠不可能。好狠 ㄚ!)
(看到此文,請勿爲了好奇經過,該附近不是"治安不好'就可以形容的)。
這兩個社區曾經都有極高的犯罪率，在與老闆Michael Dearington討論T.D. case時也一併向他報告親眼所見，Michael向我解釋，這兩個國民住宅的興建，是在十五年前當時的市長因決心拆遷坐落在downtown的壞社區，而新建這兩個坐落在downtown外圍的國民住宅，將poor遷出New Haven downtown試圖解決downtown的犯罪率問題，不過，十五年過後，證實該計畫完全不可行，因為國民住宅聚居了poor有極高犯罪率，而且居民不在意住屋的維護，因此淪為犯罪天堂，不到十五年，整批國民住宅被迫必須全部封閉。
另外,較為值得觀察的還包括New Haven警局的巡邏規劃，是由個別的警員駕駛巡邏車巡邏，所以非兩人一組,警用電腦據傑夫說是非常穩定,而且還可以即時收email(因為惡性難改~~~我問傑夫可否拍攝警車照片,所以傑夫就很謹慎的發EMAIL問他的主管,他的主管就"即時"EMAIL回覆,不但說YES,還順便說她會Show up in 5 minute,因此才觀察到這台電腦的"人性化"一面)
New Haven治安(耶魯大學治安狀況):
http://www.newhavencrimelog.org/ (可查詢New Haven住家附近犯罪紀錄，很神！)
http://www.wenhui.ch/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=737 (寫出市民小小無奈，並提及了New Haven crime rate)
By Wan-Li Yang 2007/04/02
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