'Neutrality', 'choice', and 'ownership' in the construction, use, and adaptation of judicial decision support systems

This article examines the character and future of Judicial Decision Support Systems (JDSS's) in relation to the activity of judicial sentencing. There are many varieties of JDSS which could be applied to sentencing. However, in terms of attracting judicial and political commitment 'Sentencing Information Systems' seem to be emerging as the predominant JDSS model. This model stresses values of data neutrality; judicial choice; and, judicial ownership of sentencing practice and sentencing reform. The article proceeds to examine the 'flip side' of each of these values. It discusses the reasons for the apparent neutrality of SIS data arguing that this 'neutrality' is necessarily a construction based in sentencing research. Examining the value of judicial choice in whether or not the system should be consulted, the article presents results of evaluation of the extent and nature of use of the Scottish Sentencing Information System currently being operated by High Court judges. There is some reason to believe that previous Canadian experience may not necessarily be replicated elsewhere, although it is still early in the history of the Scottish project. Finally, the article considers the ability to retain judicial ownership of the system and public access arguin

Supporting discretionary decision-making with information technology

A NUMBER OF INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED technologies are now being used to support complex decision-making in a range of contexts. This paper reports on a project undertaken to provide decision support in discretionary legal domains by referring to a recently created model that involves the interplay and weighting of relevant rule-based and discretionary factors used in a decision-making process. The case study used in the modelling process is the Criminal Jurisdiction of the Victorian Magistrate’s Court (Australia), where the handing down of an appropriate custodial or non-custodial sentence requires the consideration of many factors. Tools and techniques used to capture relevant expert knowledge and to display it both as a paper model and as an online prototype application are discussed. Models of sentencing decision-making with rule-based and discretionary elements are presented and analyzed. This paper concludes by discussing the benefits and disadvantages of such technology and considers some potential appropriate uses of the model and web-based prototype application.C

Utilización de metodologías de Inteligencia Artificial y sus aplicaciones en El Salvador

El presente artículo intenta dar una pequeña perspectiva de cómo el uso de las metodologías basadas en Inteligencia Artificial (IA) podrían contribuir en la solución de problemas reales del país: como la eficiencia y eficacia en consultas médicas del Instituto del Seguro Social Salvadoreño (ISSS), toma de decisiones políticas importantes, resolución de juicios legales, evasión de impuestos, aprobación de créditos, optimización de recursos, etc. El documento describe brevemente diferentes técnicas de Inteligencia Artificial (IA) tales como Sistemas Expertos (SE), Razonamiento Basados en Casos (RBC), Redes Neuronales Artificiales (RNA) y Algoritmos Genéticos (AG) entre otras, y menciona en forma sintetizada algunas áreas críticas en las que podrían aplicarse en el país con éxito. El objetivo principal de este artículo es dar a conocer otras alternativas hasta ahora desconocidas por las instituciones del Estado para la resolución de problemas nacionales importantes

Conceptual Modeling in Law: An Interdisciplinary Research Agenda

The article describes how different approaches from the IS field of conceptual modeling should be transferred to the legal domain to enhance comprehensibility of legal regulations and contracts. It is further described how this in turn would benefit the IS discipline. The findings emphasize the importance of further interdisciplinary research on that topic. A research agenda that synthesizes the presented ideas is proposed based on a framework that structures the research field. Researchers from both disciplines, IS and Law, that are interested in this field should use the research agenda to position their research and to derive new and innovative research questions

Regular sentencing in criminal law

Докторска дисертација под називом „Редовно одмеравање казне у кривичном праву“ садржи осам тематских целина, поред уводног дела и закључка. У првој глави је дато појмовно одређење редовног одмеравања, при чему је посебно анализиран његов однос са концептом индивидуализације казне. У даљем излагању су издвојено проучавана питања сврхе кажњавања, казнених оквира у посебном делу и олакшавајућих и отежавајућих околности, како би се показало на који начин се мења физиономија редовног одмеравања у зависности од тога како су ови институти уобличени на нормативном плану. Такође, анализирано је и место редовног одмеравања у систему кривичног права, кроз компарирање са осталим облицима одмеравања, али и са институтима којима се модификује изречена казна, попут условног отпуста, помиловања и амнестије. Друга глава је посвећена историјату правила о редовном одмеравању, пратећи генезу како у општој тако и у националналној развојној линији. Компаративноправним аспектом бави се трећа глава, анализирајући прихваћена решења у европско-континенталном праву (Италија, Немачка, Руска федерација, Финска, Шведска, Норвешка, Данска, Швајцарска, Румунија, Бугарска и земља бивше СФРЈ) и англосаксонском праву (Велика Британија, САД, Аустралија, Канада). Правни оквир овог института у међународном кривичном праву обрађен је у четвртој глави, при чему су изучавани међународни стандарди одмеравања, релевантне одредбе Статута Међународног војног суда, статута ad hoc трибунала за бившу Југославију и Руанду са пратећим правилницима, Римског статута и Правилника о поступку и доказима. Поменуто проучавање је употпуњено емпиријском анализом кондемнаторних пресуда донетих пред овим судовима. Централни (пети) део дисертације представља студију позитивног права Србије и он започиње освртом на могућности и спорне моменте новог казненог система. Потом су веома детаљно проучаване опште смернице редовног одмеравања – сврха кажњавања, забрана двоструког вредновања и казнени оквири у посебном делу Кривичног законика. Даље разматрање третира таксативно набројане олакшавајуће и отежавајуће околности и то из два угла: теоријског, којим су одређени појам и садржина сваке од њих, и практичног, који је показао како се оне тумаче и вреднују у пракси наших судова, не би ли се дијагностификовали проблеми у нормативном уређењу и у домену примене важећих одредаба. У т ом с мислу предложени су и могући путеви за њихово решавање, тако да су дати извесни предлози de lege ferenda и извесне сугестије корисне за судску праксу. Посебно место у овом делу излагања имају и особености редовног одмеравања казне малолетницима и правним лицима. Шеста глава представља сагледавање редовног одмеравања казне у контексту политике сузбијања криминалитета, са задатком да пронађе одговор на неколико питања – да ли је домаћа судска казнена политика блага и неусаглашена са казненом политиком законодавца, што се често тврди у нашој теорији, како је до ове појаве дошло и како се на њу може утицати, односно да ли је оправдано посматрати пораст и пад стопе криминалитета као релевантне околности за избор врсте и мере казне.The doctoral dissertation titled “Regular Sentencing in Criminal Law” includes an introduction, eight thematic parts and a conclusion. In the first part, the author defines the concept of regular sentencing and analyzes its correlation with the concept of individualization of punishment. Further on, the author examines the issues pertaining to the purpose of punishment, the framework of punishment in the special part of Criminal Law as well as the aggravating and mitigating circumstances; the purpose of this examination is to point out to the changing physiognomy of regular sentencing which largely depends on how these institutes are envisaged in the normative framework. The author also analyses the position of regular sentencing in the criminal law system by comparing it with other forms of sentencing and other criminal law institutes (such as: parole, pardon and amnesty) which may be applied for the purpose of modifying the imposed punishment. In the second part, the author provides a historical genesis of regular sentencing rules, including the development of these rules on the general and the national scale. In the third part, the author explores the comparative aspect of regular sentencing by analyzing the legal solutions accepted in the European-Continental legal system (embodied in the legislations of Italy, Germany, the Russian Federation, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Romania, Bulgaria and former-SFRY countries) and the legal solutions in the Anglo-Saxon/American law (embodied in the legislations of the UK, USA, Australia and Canada). In the fourth part, the author explores the legal framework of this institute in the international criminal law by analyzing the international standards on sentencing, relevant provisions of the Statute of International Military Court, the statutes of ad hoc tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Ruanda (and their accompanying Rules of Procedure and Evidence), and the Statute of Rome (and its accompanying Rules of Procedure and Evidence). This analysis is supplemented by an empirical analysis of the condemnatory judgments rendered by these courts/tribunals. The fifth (central) part of the dissertation includes an analysis of the positive law of Serbia. The author first provides an overview of the disputable provisions on sentencing and punishment contained in the new Serbian legislation and points to possible legal solutions. Then, the author provides a comprehensive analysis of the general provisions on regular sentencing, including the purpose of punishment, the prohibition of dual-evaluationin determining the punishment, and the framework of punishment envisaged in the special part of the Serbian Criminal Code. After that, the author provides a list of aggravating and mitigating circumstances, which are further analyzed from two different aspects: the theoretical aspect (in order to define the concept and contents of each circumstance) and the practical aspect (in order to show how these circumstances are interpreted and valued in the judicial practice of Serbian courts); the purpose of this analysis is to identify the problems both in the normative framework and in the application of the existing legislation

Information management in professional organisations: Alternative approaches to the application of information systems in professional organisations

This research aims to examine the influence of the use of information technology on professional organisations and to identify which policies could be followed by the management of such organisations to apply information systems. Traditional approaches to information technology assume that organisations operate as 'machine bureaucracies' - a top down management style, standardisation of work processes and a high level of interdependency amongst departments. Such assumptions are not relevant to professional organisations. In these organisations professionals perform and control the primary process of the organisation in close interaction with their clients and with a high level of autonomy. With the rise of computers and information technology, such organisations are confronted with the question of how to apply this technology, since conventional models may not be appropriate. The strategy used to accomplish the research objectives was the case study methodology, complemented by a literature study. Two hospitals were chosen as case sites, since hospitals are generally perceived as typical examples of professional organisations which make intensive use of information technology. Interviews and conversations with personnel, observations and hospital documents were the main sources for the case studies. This research indicates that four general strategies can be followed which are captured in a model which is developed throughout this study namely the Professional - Heteronomy model. First, information technology can be utilised by making the support activities more efficient, e.g. by using computers for administration and other office activities, without affecting the professionals directly with such technology [this may imply that professionals develop and use their own information systems relatively autonomously]. Second, information technology can be used for the direct support of professional activities. In this case, the primary goal is to motivate professionals and to help them to improve their work and their level of professionalisation. A third direction might be to use this technology with the objective of substituting professionals by computers, thus reducing the number of professionals needed. Cutting costs or improving services are management motives for introducing such a policy. The fourth direction is to use information technology for management support. This can be practised by deriving management information from data gathered from the primary process. The management may obtain the information to manage and to control the organisation in a more direct and tight way through these systems. A major conclusion is that the states of computing management model (Kraemer et al., 1989) is a useful framework to categorise the state of computing in professional organisations, as well as being a tool to model changes of these states. The study proposes some adaptations to this model in order to make it more refined: in the adapted version the model can reflect several states at the same time. This will be a more realistic representation of computing in many cases. This study also observed in both case study sites what we term multiformity in computing: in other words, various actors influenced decision making with respect to information systems in apparently contrasting ways. The study proposes that a more conscious management of 'multiform computing' may be a more realistic alternative to the uniform approaches which are common

El proceso penal ante una nueva realidad tecnológica Europea

En primer lugar, destacaría que no hay arista que no haya sido tratada, siendo todos los aspectos que aborda tan actuales como relevantes, desde la doble perspectiva nacional y europea, que evidentemente aparece entreverada a causa del reconocimiento mutuo y la aproximación normativa. Por ello, quisiera destacar este acertado enfoque de este libro colectivo que pretende, no solo concienciar a los prácticos del derecho sobre la relevante transformación que estamos experimentando en los últimos años, introduciéndonos con interesantísimas reflexiones de su impacto y oportunidades que nos ofrece, de manera que nos sirva de acicate y ayuda en el esfuerzo de adaptación y capacitación que este desafío tecnológico y digital supone para la justicia penal europea. -- El mayor acierto es haber sabido seleccionar materias y aspectos tan diversos del ámbito de la justicia penal dentro de la Unión Europea, unidos todos ellos por el sedal invisible de la singularidad y transformación tecnológica, estructurándolos de manera especialmente acertada en los cuatro ejes temáticos en los que se articulan los 24 capítulos del libro. En cada uno de estos pilares se repasa el impacto, los límites, las posibilidades y, como no, los retos de la digitalización en relación con cuestiones legales y prácticas de la utilización de datos personales, la inteligencia artificial, la cooperación internacional, la criminalidad organizada, la responsabilidad penal de las personas jurídicas y la protección de las víctimas y justicia juvenil. Si además, se cuenta con los mejores expertos en cada materia, esta acertada combinación es formula de éxito garantizado... Del prólogo de Francisco Jiménez-Villarejo Fernández. Fiscal de Sala de Cooperación Penal Internacional de la Fiscalía General del Estado.Proyecto de investigación del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación: Proceso penal y Unión Europea. Análisis y propuestas PID2020-116848GB-100Proyecto de investigación del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación: Respuesta jurídica y socioeducativa a la violencia de género ejercida por menores. Protección de la víctima e intervención con el menor agresor PID2019-106700RB-10