Evidence – trial and pre-trial

The article again raises the question of the concept of proof in criminal proceedings. The adoption of the Code of Criminal Procedure in 2001, based on principles different from those of earlier times, did not lead to any noticeable revision of the postulates of the theory of evidence, including the concept of proof, but further aggravated the long-known contradictions. The incompatibility of the ideas of proving, which developed in the previous period of our history, as a cognitive activity aimed at establishing objective truth, with the principles of the presumption of innocence and competition is far from obvious to everyone, so the author of the article attempts to separate two fundamentally different approaches to the concept of proof between two fundamentally different parts of the criminal process and thereby reconcile the irreconcilable sides of the scientific discussion.

Protocol forDigital Real-world Evidence trial for Adults with insomnia treated via Mobile (DREAM): an open-label trial of a prescription digital therapeutic for treating patients with chronic insomnia

Background: Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is underused in healthcare settings and is challenging for people with insomnia to access because of uneven geographical distribution of behavioral sleep medicine providers. Prescription digital therapeutics can overcome these barriers. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a specific digital CBT-I therapeutic. Materials & methods: Digital Real-world Evidence trial for Adults with insomnia treated via Mobile (DREAM) is a 9-week, open-label, decentralized clinical trial to collect real-world evidence for a digital therapeutic (Somryst™) delivering CBT-I to patients with chronic insomnia. The primary objective is to examine the effectiveness of Somryst to reduce self-reported insomnia symptoms and severity in a real-world population (n = 350). Conclusion: This pragmatic study seeks to assess the potential benefits of treating insomnia with an asynchronous, mobile, tailored prescription digital therapeutic. Clinical trial registration: NCT04325464 (ClinicalTrials.gov)

Children’s Competence to Testify in Australian Courts: Implementing the Royal Commission Recommendation

In 2017, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommended reforms to the law of competence of child witnesses. We examined Australian judges’ practices in assessing children’s competence to give sworn evidence. Trial transcripts from 56 victims revealed that 64% were posed competence questions, with fewer to older children. The most frequent manner of posing such questions was to ask children to evaluate the morality of truths and lies. Most questions were yes-no format, and children nearly always answered these satisfactorily. When questions were ‘wh-’ format, children provided a satisfactory response only 51% of the time. Only nine children testified unsworn, and they were asked more than twice as many competence questions as sworn children. Competence inquiries have been challenged for underestimating children’s abilities, and because responses to questions about truths and lies are not predictive of behaviour. We discuss how reforms could be implemented.

NILAI PEMBUKTIAN LAPORAN HASIL PEMERIKSAAN (LHP) PENGHITUNGAN KERUGIAN NEGARA YANG DIBUAT OLEH INSPEKTORAT DALAM PROSES PENANGANAN PERKARA TINDAK PIDANA KORUPSI YANG DILAKUKAN OLEH KEJAKSANAAN NEGERI ROKAN HILIR

ABSTRAKTujuan penulisan penelitian ini guna mengetahui syarat laporan hasil pemeriksaan penghitungan kerugian negara yang ditetapkan menjadi alat bukti dalam pembuktian perkara tindak pidana korupsi oleh Kejaksaan Negeri Rokan Hilir dan untuk mengetahui nilai pembuktian laporan hasil pemeriksaan penghitungan kerugian negara oleh Inspektorat dalam proses penanganan perkara tindak korupsi di Kejaksaan Negeri Rokan Hilir. Metode penelitian yang digunakan penulis yakni metode penelitian hukum sosiologis yang dilakukan dengan cara mengadakan identifikasi hukum dan mengurai efektifitas pelaksanaan hukum di masyarakat atau meninjau keadaan senyatanya melalui permasalahan di lapangan dikaitkan dengan aspek hukum yang berlaku.Pendekatan yang digunakan yakni berupa pendekatan peraturan perundang-undangan tertentu atau hukum terkait di Indonesia ditunjang dengan hasil wawancara dan pemberi informasi kunci. Kesimpulan yang penulis dapat uraikan berupa syarat laporan hasil pemeriksaan penghitungan kerugian negara dapat ditetapkan menjadi alat bukti dalam persidangan harus memenuhi persyaratan yang diatur didalam Kitab Undang Hukum Acara Pidana. Kemudian hakim dapat menerima laporan hasil pemeriksaan penghitungan kerugian negara setelah menelaah kebenaran isinya. Maka sebagai alat bukti dalam persidangan laporan hasil pemeriksaan penghitungan kerugian negara harus diuji dan meyakinkan hakim. Hal ini merupakan masukan penulis terkait penggunaan alat bukti dipersidangan guna memberi pertimbangan hakim dalam mengadili perkara tindak pidana korupsi di Indonesia.Kata kunci: kerugian negara; pembuktian; alat bukti persidanganABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to determine the requirements of the report on the results of state loss calculation determined to be evidence in proof of corruption cases by the Rokan Hilir District Prosecutor's Office and to find out the value of verification reports on state losses by the Inspectorate in handling corruption cases in the Prosecutor's Office Rokan Hilir country. The research method used by the writer is sociological legal research method which is carried out by making legal identification and deciphering the effectiveness of law enforcement in the community or reviewing the actual situation through problems in the field associated with applicable legal aspects. The approach used is in the form of certain legislative approaches or related laws in Indonesia are supported by the results of interviews and key informants. The conclusion that the author can describe in the form of a report on the results of the examination of the calculation of state losses can be determined as evidence in the trial must meet the requirements set out in the Criminal Procedure Code. Then the judge can receive a report on the results of the examination of state losses after examining the truth of the contents. So as evidence in the trial report the results of the examination of the calculation of state losses must be tested and convinced the judge. This is the author's input regarding the use of evidence in court to give consideration to judges in prosecuting cases of corruption in Indonesia.Keywords: state losses; evidence; trial evidence tools

The Rule Against Admitting Exculpatory Statements of Accused Persons: A Shiny Coin That has Lost its Currency

As a general rule, accused persons on trial in Anglo––North American criminal legal systems are not allowed to introduce into evidence exculpatory statements they have made out of court. There is no coherent rationale for this rule, which is difficult to defend as a matter of principle and pragmatism. Yet this "anomalous" rule1 remains alive and well, at least in the U.S.A. and Canada, and invariably becomes the focus of pretrial or midtrial argument in those cases where such statements have been made. When an accused person fails to convince a trial judge to hear or receive evidence that he or she made exculpatory statements out of court, trial fairness is typically jeopardized. This article contends that at least three overarching principles of criminal justice——the inclusionary principle of evidence, trial fairness, and the presumption of innocence——require the rule itself to be abandoned. It should also be rejected as a matter of practicality.