The Federal Criminal Forfeiture Statute: Reining in The Government’s Previously Unbridled Ability to Seize Pretrial Assets

American organized crime movies are synonymous with a climatic raid and seizure of illegal assets – typically drugs and guns. But what is really encompassed within the Government’s grasp; what are the “illegal assets”? The truth is that the Government has a wide reach and the criminal seizures don’t end when the screen goes black and the credits roll. The Federal Criminal Forfeiture Statute, as applied to RICO and CCE cases, typically entails the forfeiture of any asset connected to the underlying crimes. Given that criminal forfeiture penalties have ethical and constitutional considerations, it is not surprising to learn that a recent United States Supreme Court decision has scaled back the Government’s power over its ability to seize. This Note will provide an overview of the Federal Criminal Forfeiture Statute, as well as RICO and CCE in order to provide context, will detail the case law history of the statute in application, will examine the ethical and constitutional considerations, and will question the future of the controversially applied law

La política criminal federal 2006–2013: del discurso de guerra contra el narcotráfico a la sobrecriminalización de la posesión y el consumo de narcóticos

Se han sobrecriminalizado conductas delictivas no graves, mientras que la aplicación del sistema de sanciones penales en materia de narcóticos ha desnaturalizado las intenciones del cambio legislativo de dar un tratamiento integral al problema en México, indica el autor, que resalta el que, por cada peso dedicado a la prevención, se dedican al menos 50 pesos al aparato de reacción y punición. Presenta diversos indicadores que muestran algunas consecuencias negativas de la estrategia del gobierno federal en torno al tema.ITESO, A.C

Racionalidade Substantiva em Unidades de Perícia Criminal Federal Contábil-Financeira

A racionalidade é uma característica inerente aos seres humanos. Diz-se que o homem tem uma ação racional quando há uma correspondência ótima entre fins e meios. No entanto, estudos indicam que a racionalidade não é pautada apenas pela maximização da satisfação e minimização dos custos. Tomadas de decisão também são fundamentadas em aspectos éticos e valores intrínsecos dos seres humanos. Nesse contexto, a presente pesquisa buscou mensurar a presença da racionalidade substantiva em instituições públicas de perícia criminal contábil-financeira, uma vez que há o entendimento popular de que esses profissionais atuariam apenas com base na racionalidade instrumental

Supreme Court Voting Behavior: 1999 Term

This Study, the fourteenth in a series, tabulates and analyzes the voting behavior of the United States Supreme Court during the 1999 Term. The analysis is designed to determine whether individual Justices and the Court as a whole are voting more conservatively, more liberally, or about the same as compared with past Terms. This Term\u27s survey suggests a reversal of the Court\u27s liberal trend over the past two Terms, with conservative movement in six of the ten categories. Specifically, the Court\u27s support of statutory civil rights claims plummeted to an all time low, while the Court exhibited a dramatic conservative shift in cases decided by one vote. Furthermore, the Study\u27s second most reliable category for indicating liberal/conservative trends, Civil/ State Party, showed solid conservative movement in all types of decisions. Yet, this apparent conservative movement is counterbalanced somewhat by the fact that the Study\u27s most reliable category for indicating conservative/liberal trends, Criminal/Federal Party, demonstrated some liberal movement. A more in-depth analysis for each category is set forth in Part IV-B of this Study

Justice without borders: the impact of the Spanish exercise of the universal criminal jurisdiction in the reopening of the proceedings for the disappeared in Argentina (1996-2007)

En este artículo se reconstruye la "evolución pendular" de la justicia con respecto a las masivas violaciones de los derechos humanos cometidos en la Argentina durante la última dictadura militar (1976-1983), cuyas víctimas son internacionalmente conocidas como desaparecidos. Este trabajo presenta el impacto positivo de los llamados "Juicios de Madrid" en la reapertura de los procesos judiciales en la Argentina por crímenes contra la humanidad.  Se aborda el resultado de la aplicación del principio de jurisdicción penal universal en la lucha contra la impunidad. Se realiza un análisis de carácter político-jurídico a través de una aproximación trans-disciplinaria que integra el derecho y las ciencias sociales. Se rescata el caso Argentino-Español como un ejemplo de justicia sin fronteras para juzgar crímenes contra el derecho internacional cometidos por estructuras estatales.In this article is reconstructed the “pendulous evolution” of the justice regarding the massive human rights violations perpetrated in Argentina during the last military dictatorship (1976-1983), whose victims are internationally known as disappeared persons. This works presents the positive impact of the so called “Madrid Trials” in the re-opening of the proceedings in Argentina for crimes against humanity. Indeed, is approached the result of the application of the universal criminal jurisdiction principle in the fight against impunity. Is realized a legal-political analysis across a trans-disciplinary perspective which integrates law and social sciences. The paper recovered the Argentinean - Spanish case as an example of justice without borders for trial crimes against the international law committed by state structures.Fil: Mira, Julieta. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Instituto de Investigaciones "Gino Germani"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Saavedra 15. Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones Laborales; Argentin