Presumption of innocence in criminal procedure law: essence and misconceptions

The author points out the need to clarify the key terms of modern Russian jurisprudence. It is proposed to replace the term "criminal process" with the term "criminal-legal process". Attention is drawn to the incorrectness of the terms "criminal code" and "civil Code". The article reveals the essence and legal nature of the presumption of innocence in criminal law proceedings, which consist in the fact that the accused and the defendant do not have such legal obligations before the entry into force of the guilty verdict, as if they were guilty of committing the incriminated act. The author substantiates the fact that only the state can be a violator of this legal presumption.

Presence and participation in a virtual court

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the use of video-mediated justice practices. However, such developments have already been transforming justice over the course of the previous 20 years. Scholars and legal professinals have expressed concerns over how remote appearance in court impacts perceptions of the accused. In this article, we consider some of these concerns and explore the concept of the ‘distributed court’ as a potential remedy. Unlike traditional video appearance in court, where a defendant participates remotely while all other players are co-located in the same courtroom, in a distributed court all participants meet in a shared virtual space. Such a configuration is similar to the virtual courts developed worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. We draw on a reimagining of co-presence from scholars in the sociology of technology to elaborate the concept of the distributed court. We then present the results of a mock jury study that examines how jurors respond to variations in court technology configurations. We find that appearing by video does not impact the likelihood of a guilty verdict. Rather, a defendant appearing alone in a dock seems to be the most prejudicial location. We find that a distributed court can communicate equality and produce a shared experience of remote participation. We conclude with a discussion of how this research can inform best practice in a future where a significant number of criminal hearings are likely to continue in a virtual format.

The influence of sexual objectification on guilt assessment on a sample of Italian graduates

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of sexual objectification on the attribution processes of the guilt of a defendant – and also on the level of guilt. It was also hypothesized that legal expertise could be a protective factor in countering the influence of sexual objectification. Design/methodology/approach Sexual objectification can be defined as the perspective in which a person is evaluated solely in terms of his or her body parts or sexual function. As yet, no studies have assessed the influence of sexual objectification on guilt assessment in the legal system; this paper aims to explore whether sexual objectification has an influence on the attribution processes of a defendant's guilt. Findings The statistical analysis revealed that the sexually objectified defendant received a guilty verdict more often than a non-sexually objectified defendant; additionally, legal experts were more likely to identify the defendant as not guilty than non-legal experts. The findings support the hypothesis that sexual objectification is indeed one of the common stereotypes that lead to discrimination. Originality/value The present study provides novel findings regarding sexual objectification in the forensic context in which the defendant is viewed and evaluated.

Classifying Actions in Sentencing Based on the Classifying Criterion “Repeated”: Correlation between Criminal Procedural and Criminal Law Aspects

Presently, different judicial divisions of the Criminal Cassation Court of the Supreme Court offer varying legal conclusions concerning the possibility to classify the actions of a person when sentencing based on the criterion of classification “repeated” varies. This conclusion follows from the analysis of the judicial Decree as of December 11, 2019 (Proceeding No. 51-4204 км 19, Сase No. 274/2956/17) of the Third judicial division of the Criminal Cassation Court, the Decree of the First judicial division of the Cassation Criminal Court as of July 10, 2018 (Proceeding No. 51-2475 км 18, Case No. 545/3663/16-к), and of the Decree as of February 27, 2019 (Proceeding No. 51-5205 км 18, Case No. 695/136/17) of the Second judicial division of the Criminal Cassation Court.Due to such a state of affairs, the already amalgamated division of the Criminal Cassation Court of the Supreme Court was making its own decision in Case No. 591/4366/18 (Proceeding No. 51-1122 кмо 20) on September 14, 2020. Yet, my opinion is that not all arguments and statements of facts provided in this decree can be agreed on without questions.In the process of the research, it was proved that the situation of the judge’s practicing their discretion powers concerning merging criminal proceedings into one proceeding (according to the requirements of Article 334 of the Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine) is the only exceptional situation that provides for, in absence of the court’s guilty verdict in “the first criminal proceeding,” which for the legal classification of the repeated offence must take a legal effect, using the criterion of classifying the actions of the accused as “repeated” in the “next criminal proceeding.” Otherwise, we should be discussing violation of the constitutional foundation of presumption of innocence in the criminal proceeding and a securing proof of guilt.

Hate Speech Prosecution of Politicians and its Effect on Support for the Legal System and Democracy

This study examined if and for whom prosecution of politicians for hate speech undermines support for the legal system and democracy. Three research designs were combined to investigate the case of Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who was convicted for hate speech against minorities in 2016. First, an experiment showed that observing a guilty verdict decreased support among ‘assimilationists’ who oppose the multicultural society. This deterioration of support was found among the entire group of assimilationists, regardless of whether they voted for Wilders. Secondly, a quasi-experiment demonstrated that assimilationists who were interviewed after Wilders' conviction indicated less support than those who were interviewed before the verdict and compared to a pre-test. Thirdly, a nine-year panel study suggested that these effects accumulate into long-term discontent. This case therefore demonstrates that hate speech prosecution can damage the democratic system it is intended to defend.

ANALYSIS OF TYPICAL ERRONEOUS DECISIONS OF THE COURT WHEN THE SENTENCE

The article analyzes the judicial practice, statistics and typical errors that arise when passing a sentence by a court of first instance, which led to the acquittal of a person who committed a crime; statistics of consideration of criminal cases by the courts of first instance; criteria for sentencing by the courts of first instance; analyzes the stages of the trial; examines the main points of correction of pre-trial proceedings in a criminal case; considers the list of grounds for ruling an acquittal; the structure and content of the sentence, the moment of absence of defense arguments in the sentence – by the appeal and cassation courts; the stages of cassation; the grounds for a guilty verdict; the procedural function of the court and the function of resolving a criminal case; the analysis in the final part of the article.

Justice denied? Prosecutors and presiding officers' reliance on evidence of previous sexual history in South African rape trials

This article presents data from a study conducted by the Medical Research Council of South Africa, focusing on rape attrition in South Africa at different stages in the processes (from reporting at a police station to potential conviction). The study found that of the 3 952 reported cases of rape analysed 65% were referred to prosecution, and trials commenced in 18,5% of cases. Of the total 3 952 cases reported, 8,6% resulted in a guilty verdict. Using qualitative data from a subset of trial transcripts, the article focuses specifically on the problematic views of both presiding officers and prosecutors based on rape myths and gender-stereotyping at trial, and suggests that these are a factor affecting the attrition rate between cases referred to trial and those that result in a not guilty verdict.

Exemption of person from criminal liability and correlation with the principle of presumption of innocence

This article examines the institution of exemption from criminal liability as an alternative to criminal prosecution and correlation with the principle of presumption of innocence on the basis of current criminal procedure legislation, scientific researches and judicial practice (case law). It is established that the initial position of scholars, who adhere to the opinion of contradiction of the institution of exemption from criminal liability with the principle of presumption of innocence, is that, in itself, the fact of exemption from criminal liability indicates a guilty plea and requires sentencing in accordance with Part 1 of the Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine. It was found out that reference of some scholars to commitment of a crime by a person is possible only due to availability of guilty verdict, not a court ruling. Because, there are many norms in legislation which may restrict certain citizens’ rights on the basis of ceasing a criminal case under «non-rehabilitative» circumstances. Other ones propose to abandon the institution of exemption from criminal liability in general and advocate expanding the scope of the institution of release from punishment, improving other means of criminal law regulation of the crime which is established by a guilty verdict of a court. It is being proved that the principle of presumption of innocence while exempting from criminal liability is not restricted: the prescriptions of presumption of innocence should be assessed, firstly, as not included into the mechanism of criminal liability, and secondly – as criminal law measures which are an alternative to punishment. Exemption of a person from criminal liability remains to be an effective means to resolve a criminal law dispute in cases prescribed by law. A person who has committed a criminally punishable act is, in no way, limited in their rights, much less in the right to implement the principle of the presumption of innocence. Key words: alternative, liability, exemption (release), punishment, presumption of innocence.

Juror and community views of the guilty plea sentencing discount: Findings from a national Australian study

A plea of guilty is a long-accepted factor mitigating sentence in many countries, including Australia, although academic debate over the merits and application of the discount is ongoing. This paper presents findings from a national Australian study on public opinion on the guilty plea sentencing discount, with a particular focus on sexual offences. Survey data were drawn from 989 jurors in cases that resulted in a guilty verdict and 450 unempanelled jurors and 306 online respondents who were provided with vignettes based on real cases. A third of the respondents would have supported a discount in their case if the offender had pleaded guilty. In contrast, more than one half of the respondents surveyed, who had received a vignette with a guilty plea scenario, supported an increment in sentence if the offender had gone to trial. There was more support for a discount in cases involving non-sexual violent offences versus sexual offences and adult versus child victims. Where a discount was supported, this most commonly was a reduction in the length of custodial sentence, with online respondents allocating the least generous discounts. Willingness to accept a sentencing discount was predicted by a range of variables including gender, education, punitive attitudes, offence type and offence seriousness. We conclude by considering the implications of our findings for sentencing law and practice.