Criminal Law Reform Now Network

现在刑法改革网络

• 批准号: AH/R013160/1
• 负责人: John Child
• 金额: $ 3.08万
• 依托单位: University of Sussex
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2018 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FR013160%2F1
• 关键词: Criminal; Law; Reform; Now; Network

The Criminal Law Reform Now Network (CLRNN) represents the creation of a new and flexible route for academics and other legal experts to take the lead in collaborative criminal law reform projects: proposing topics; defining policy recommendations; team-writing reports; and working with reform institutions to take recommendations forward. Academics and other legal professionals have always played a valuable role in reform of the criminal law, both through critique of the current law as well as advocating or consulting upon reform options. However, established roles/routes of this kind come with significant restrictions - they may be reserved within a small pool of consulted experts; they may be restricted by the questions consulted upon; they may arise only once or twice in a life of a reform project; and in almost all cases, the start and end point for the consulted expert is defined narrowly. Without rejecting established routes, the CLRNN identifies and facilitates an alternative. Here, having proposed an area in need of critical attention, project specific teams of experts will work collaboratively over the full life of a project, creating reform recommendations, and communicating these directly to target reform institutions.The CLRNN operates a cyclical structure, establishing new projects as others end. Following an open-call and meeting, the first two projects have been selected:1) Review of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 (CMA): When we consider the speed of technological change, including personal devise use and the increasingly sophisticated threat from hacking, it is little wonder that this 27 year old statute requires attention. Despite some amendment, proposers of this topic highlighted the potential need for a 'public interest' defence within the legislation (potential legislative reform), litigation surrounding the meaning of 'authorised' computer use (potential legislative reform), inconsistent sentencing of offenders (potential reform of sentencing guidelines), as well as a number of other precise concerns. 2) Review of the Private Prosecutions Regime: The potential for an individual or private group to instigate criminal proceedings (ie, as opposed to the state) operates a peculiar role within the current law, and has developed without systematic or principled review. Here, proposers were keen to explore the various ways private prosecutions are discontinued (eg, through CPS intervention and court practices), the involvement of police in investigation, the application of evidential rules, and so on. There is agreement that the law and practice in this area are inconsistent and can lead to unfairness, and so there is clear scope for reform recommendations: focusing potentially on legislation, CPS and Police practice, and court practice. The CLRNN aims to unlock the potential of individual researchers whose reform ideas may not otherwise gain wider recognition, as well as creating an inter-disciplinary forum for testing those ideas with experts from across the relevant area (eg, including academics, practitioners, members of special interest groups, and so on). The CLRNN will not be tied to a single topic or institution, but will rather consider working on reform proposals across the criminal law piste (eg, substantive, procedural, evidential, sentencing), as long as a clear public need can be demonstrated, we can build a team with the relevant expertise, we are clear about the reforming institution targeted, and we believe that there is a real prospect of creating positive change. We will create a cyclical self-sustaining Network that will continue to operate on new topics well beyond the life of our initial funding. Members of the CLRNN will be able to contribute through Project Team membership (when a project focuses in their area of expertise), evaluative comment at symposiums, as well as facilitating links and contacts relevant to project impacts.

刑法改革现在网络（CLRNN）代表了为学者和其他法律专家创建了一条新的、灵活的途径，以带头合作刑法改革项目：提出主题；制定政策建议；团队撰写报告；与改革机构合作推进建议。学者和其他法律专业人士在刑法改革中始终发挥着宝贵的作用，无论是对现行法律的批评还是对改革方案的倡导或咨询。然而，这种既定的角色/路线有很大的限制——它们可能只保留在一小部分咨询过的专家中；他们可能会受到所咨询问题的限制；它们在改革项目的生命周期中可能只出现一两次；几乎在所有情况下，咨询专家的起点和终点的定义都很狭窄。在不拒绝已建立的路由的情况下，CLRNN 会识别并促进替代方案。在这里，提出需要重点关注的领域后，项目特定的专家团队将在项目的整个生命周期中协同工作，提出改革建议，并将这些建议直接传达给目标改革机构。CLRNN 运作一个循环结构，在其他项目结束时建立新项目。经过公开征集和会议，前两个项目被选定：1) 1990 年《计算机滥用法》(CMA) 审查：当我们考虑到技术变革的速度，包括个人设备的使用和日益复杂的黑客威胁时，这部已有 27 年历史的法规需要引起关注也就不足为奇了。尽管进行了一些修改，该主题的提议者强调了立法中潜在的“公共利益”辩护（潜在的立法改革）、围绕“授权”计算机使用含义的诉讼（潜在的立法改革）、对罪犯的量刑不一致（可能的量刑指南改革）以及许多其他具体问题。 2) 对自诉制度的审查：个人或私人团体（即相对于国家）提起刑事诉讼的可能性在现行法律中发挥着特殊的作用，并且在没有系统或原则性审查的情况下就已经发展起来。在这里，提案者热衷于探索终止自诉的各种方式（例如，通过刑事诉讼程序干预和法庭实践）、警方参与调查、证据规则的适用等等。人们一致认为，这一领域的法律和实践不一致，可能导致不公平，因此有明确的改革建议范围：重点关注立法、《刑事诉讼法》和警察实践以及法院实践。 CLRNN 旨在释放个别研究人员的潜力，否则这些研究人员的改革想法可能不会获得更广泛的认可，并创建一个跨学科论坛，与相关领域的专家（例如，包括学者、从业者、特殊利益团体的成员等）一起测试这些想法。 CLRNN不会拘泥于单一主题或机构，而是会考虑研究刑法各个领域（例如实体、程序、证据、量刑）的改革建议，只要能够表现出明确的公众需求，我们可以建立一个具有相关专业知识的团队，我们明确改革的目标机构，我们相信有真正创造积极变革的前景。 我们将创建一个周期性的自我维持网络，该网络将在我们的初始资金寿命结束后继续针对新主题运作。 CLRNN 成员将能够通过项目团队成员身份（当项目专注于其专业领域时）、研讨会上的评估评论以及促进与项目影响相关的链接和联系来做出贡献。