Thesis (LLM)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Plea bargaining describes the act of negotiating and concluding agreements in the criminal procedure. Usually the prosecutor and the accused agree that the accused will plead guilty to the charge brought against him in exchange for some concession from the prosecution. The bargain is not limited to the presented subject. Agreements can contain the non-prosecution or reduction of charges, specific terms of punishment, conditions of probation and much more. In many countries the vast majority of criminal cases are disposed by way of bargaining. Plea bargaining breaches with the concept of a conventional trial and consequently clashes with well-known fundamental principles of the criminal procedure. Moreover, bargaining before criminal trials strongly implicates the constitutionally secured rights of the accused as well as of the public interest. Although plea bargaining is broadly criticized for its implications on essential rules and principles, the use of the practice is widespread. There are clear benefits to the participant, such as to avoid a lengthy trial with an uncertain outcome. South Africa, as a legal system with roots in the common law, adopted the procedure in 2001 with the implementation of s 105A into the Criminal Procedure Act. The German legislature in 2009 decided to regulate what until then had been informal practice by inserting several rules into the German criminal procedure, amongst which s 257c contains the main provisions. The implementation of bargains into the German law has produced tensions particularly due to the inquisitorial basis of the criminal procedure that stands in civil law tradition. This thesis evaluates how South African and German provisions on plea bargaining differ, i.e., on which different backgrounds they are based on, how the bargain procedures are construed and to what extent statutory plea bargaining in both legal systems displaces informal traditional agreements. The comparison is enriching under the aspect that both countries implemented the bargain procedure but had to place them on fundamentally different grounds. Having presented the grounds that motivated the research (Chapter I.), the origins of plea bargaining in general as well as the legal development toward the present statutory provisions in both countries are examined (Chapter II.). The bargain procedures are compared in detail (Chapter IV.). A large part focuses on particular problem areas and how both legal systems cope with them (Chapter V.). The result of the research is summarized in a conclusion (Chapter VI.). / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Pleitonderhandeling kan beskryf word as die proses van onderhandel en die aangaan van ooreenkomste in die strafproses. Die vervolging en die verdediging sal gewoonlik ooreenkom dat die beskuldigde skuldig sal pleit in ruil vir een of meer toegewings deur die vervolging. Ooreenkomste kan insluit die nie-vervolging of vermindering van klagte, spesifieke aspekte van vonnis, voorwaardes van parool en talle meer. In ‘n hele aantal lande word die oorgrote meerderheid van sake afgehandel by wyse van pleitooreenkomste. Dit is egter duidelik dat pleitooreenkomste in konflik is met die konsep van ‘n gewone verhoor en is gevolglik ook in konflik met van die grondbeginsels van die strafprosesreg. Dit raak ook die grondwetlike regte van beskuldigdes en die belange van die samelewing. Ten spyte van hierdie kritiek en meer, is die praktyk van pleitonderhandeling wydverspreid. Daar blyk besliste voordeel te wees vir die deelnemende partye, byvoorbeeld die vermyding van lang verhore met onsekere beslissings. Suid-Afrika (met ‘n sterk gemeenregtelike tradisie) het die praktyk van pleitonderhandeling formeel en per statuut in 2001 aanvaar, met die aanvaarding en invoeging van artikel 105A in die Strafproseswet, 1977. Die wetgewer in Duitsland het in 2009 besluit om die informele praktyk van pleitonderhandeling te formaliseer met die invoeging van sekere bepalings in die Duitse strafproseskode. Hierdie invoeging het sekere spanning veroorsaak in die Duitse strafproses, veral weens die inkwisitoriese tradisie in daardie jurisdiksie. Hierdie tesis evalueer die Suid-Afrikaanse en Duitse benaderings tot pleitonderhandelinge, hoe dit verskil, die verskillende regskulturele kontekste waarbinne dit plaasvind, en die mate waartoe pleitonderhandeling in beide sisteme informele ooreenkomste vervang het. Die vergelykende ondersoek bevind dat beide stelsels die pleitooreenkoms ingestel het, maar dit moes doen mvn fundamenteel verskillende gronde. Hoofstuk I (die motivering vir die studie), word gevolg deur ‘n historiese ondersoek (Hoofstuk II). Die verdere hoofstukke fokus op die regsvergelykende aspekte en die gevolgtrekkings word in Hoofstuk VI uiteengesit.

La présente étude cherche à décrire et à comprendre les pratiques professionnelles des avocats de la défense lors des négociations des plaidoyers de culpabilité, phénomène très courant bien qu’encore trop peu connu. Nous nous sommes intéressées auxpropos de douze avocats de la défense travaillant au Palais de Justice de Montréal. Nos analyses mettent en évidence différents éléments liés à la cause, à l’accusé ou aux considérations professionnelles des avocats qui peuvent avoir une influence sur le déroulement des négociations, mais surtout, elles montrent comment ces éléments peuvent être interprétés différemment selon les avocats et les cas qu’ils défendent. De plus, le discours des avocats sur le déroulement des négociations laisse entrevoir des pratiques différentes entre eux, selon leurs niveaux d’implication (dans le dossier, dans leurs relations…). / This research paper aims to describe and understand the professional practices of criminal lawyers during plea bargaining, a well established phenomenon which is more pervasive than is commonly understood. Our study focuses on interviews of twelve criminal lawyers working at the Montréal courthouse. Our analysis emphasizes different elements related to the case, the defendant or lawyers’ professional considerations that can influence the negotiation process. We also show how those elements can be seen in a different way depending on the lawyer and the specific case they defend. Moreover, our lawyers’ interviews show that there is no uniformity in the way they handle cases, depending on their level of involvement (in the case, in their relationships…).

Originally Anglo-Saxon criminal process concept in the form of plea bargaining also constituting the topic of this thesis has become a phenomena within a number of civil law countries in the last decades. This alternative way of solving criminal cases consists simply of the possibility for an agreement between the prosecutor and accused through plea bargaining if the accused, under certain conditions, admits committing the offense and agrees with the proposed punishment. When looking at foreign but also domestic legal literature we may, without any exaggeration, consider plea bargainig as a controversial institute. On one side are the proponents with their strongest argument being the acceleration and simplification of the criminal proceedings. However, on the other side, their opponents refer mainly to the flagrant inconsistency of this institute with the fundamental principles of continental criminal proceedings. In the first part this thesis the author examines the agreements in criminal proceedings in general, focusing on their origin, historical development and various basic forms in which the agreements in criminal proceedings are presented in the world. Special section is devoted to plea bargaining regulation in the Czech Republic where this institute was introduced by an Amendment to the...

This thesis is dedicated to legal institute of plea bargaining which has been adopted to Czech criminal procedure law on September 1, 2012. The plea bargaining law in the Czech Republic is highly influenced by plea bargaining practise used in different forms in various common law jurisdictions. The thesis is divided into three basic chapters. First chapter of this thesis describes overall background and reasons for adoption of plea bargaining into Czech law. In this chapter the author presents and analyses reasons and desired results the Czech legislature pursues by adoption of plea bargaining and its usage in practise. Second chapter provides a critical view of relation of plea bargaining with the rest of Czech criminal procedure regulation, especially an interaction of plea bargaining with fundamental principles of criminal procedure. Third chapter focuses on whole procedure related to plea bargaining as regulated by current law. This chapter describes and analyses positions of all parties to the process concerned, plea bargaining negotiation process itself and its legal limits. Furthermore it depicts and examines the process of court hearing and position and role of the court within it. The third chapter also concerns several legal measures laid down in order to secure compliance of the plea...

A presente pesquisa buscou investigar se a colaboração premiada, tal como regulada pela lei nº 12.850/13, ostenta um regime jurídico especial passível de sistematização. Objetivou-se demonstrar que há uma autonomia da qual se pode extrair direitos, deveres e poderes dos sujeitos participantes do acordo, além de poderes do Juiz, e que, dadas suas particularidades, não podem ser considerados, ao menos integralmente, inseridos na classificação de negocio jurídico processual adotada pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal. Demonstrou-se que essa constatação gerou inúmeras e persistentes perplexidades na doutrina que, aos poucos vem sendo superadas pela jurisprudência. A partir do referencial teórico utilizado, procurou-se, então, sistematizar os direitos e deveres do colaborador e do proponente e, também, os poderes do Juiz ao realizar o controle judicial dos acordos, buscando-se examinar os comportamentos possíveis de tais agentes em cada uma das fases procedimentais que compõe o complexo ato da colaboração. Além disso, investigou-se as clausulas que podem figurar no acordo de colaboração premiada. Por meio da análise dos principais termos de colaboração premiada e das decisões judiciais que sobre eles recaíram, exemplificou-se as principais clausulas que tem sido utilizadas no âmbito da operação Lava-Jato, agregando-as segundo a natureza de seu conteúdo e problematizando-se os aspectos controvertidos de sua aplicação, principalmente, com o exame das decisões judiciais proferidas pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal. Em conclusão, buscou-se estudar, com maior precisão, a colaboração premiada ao assumir a perspectiva de que ela constitui um subsistema do tradicional sistema acusatório, com peculiaridades tais, que conferem a ela autonomia que justifica a tentativa de sistematização e aclaramento das características do regime jurídico deste singular instituto. / This paper sought to investigate whether the plea agreement, as regulated by Law No. 12,850/13, has a special legal framework which may be systematized. The objective was to demonstrate there is an autonomy from which the rights, duties and powers of the subjects participating in the agreement, in addition to the powers of the Judge, may be extracted, and which, given their particularities, cannot be considered, at least in full, in the classification adopted by the Federal Supreme Court. It has been shown that this finding has generated several and persistent perplexities in the doctrine which, little by little, have been overcome by jurisprudence. The theoretical framework used then sought to systematize the rights and duties of the participant and the proponent and also the powers of the Judge when performing judicial control of the agreements, seeking to examine the possible behavior of such agents in each of the procedural stages making up the complex act of the plea agreement. In addition, the clauses which may appear in the plea agreement have been investigated. By analyzing the main terms of plea agreement and the judicial decisions resulted from them, we have exemplified the main clauses which have been used in the scope of the Operation Car Wash (Operação Lava-Jato), adding them according to the nature of their content and problematizing the controversial aspects of its application, mainly, with the examination of the judicial decisions uttered by the Federal Supreme Court. In conclusion, it was sought to study, with greater precision, the plea agreement by assuming the perspective that it constitutes a subsystem of the traditional accusatory system, with such peculiarities granting to it autonomy which justifies the attempt of systematization and clarification of the characteristics of the legal framework of this singular institute.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 202-206).

This master's thesis focuses on the subject-matter of agreement on guilt and punishment. It became a part of Czech Criminal Procedure Code by the enactment of Act no. 193/2012 Coll. The plea bargaining, which is widely spread and used in common law countries, served as an inspiration. It should have primarily enhanced the efficiency and speed of the criminal proceedings. It is a type of diversion which is based on a negotiation between the prosecutor and the defendant. The defendant may plea guilty and require a milder punishment in reverse, comparing to a punishment which would have been imposed if a trial took place. The conducted agreement on guilt and punishment has to be subsequently approved by the judge in a form of the approval judgement. The thesis is divided into four chapters. The first one deals with other alternative ways, by which criminal cases may be solved. The influence and potential disruption of basic principles of the criminal procedure caused by the incorporation of agreement on guilt and punishment, is described as well. A short section is dedicated to previous legislative efforts of incorporation the agreement on guilt and punishment into the Czech legal system. The second chapter outlines the contemporary legal regulation of the agreement of guilt and punishment in the...

Aquatic hemipterans of the family Pleidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Nepomorpha) represent a not very well explored group of water insect. Pleidae (Pygmy backswimmers) are tiny (1 ? 3 mm) hemipterans living mostly on the submerged vegetation of lentic water systems. The family is cosmopolitan, but the only species we can find in the Czech Republic is Plea minutissima, which is the most researched one(together with Neoplea striola). This family consists of 33 valid species divided into four generas ? Plea Leach, 1817, Neoplea Esaki a China, 1928, Paraplea Esaki a China, 1928 and Heteroplea Cook, 2011 according to the recent status of knowledge. This thesis is the very first attempt to create a complete catalogue of species in this family. It deals with a list of species, species distribution and key to the genera and species of Pleidae. The list of literature represents bibliography of family.

This master's thesis deals with the institute of agreement process that originates in anglo-american plea bargain, which has been implemented in many criminal proceedings within the countries of continental Europe. Civil law based countries are using agreements in different forms during their criminal proceedings as an alternative to common trials. Its purpose is to make them faster and more simple. Every agreement is different from each other, but one common element is that accused person pleads guilty of crimes he/she is being prosecuted for and also that the authorities involved in given criminal proceeding are willing to make concession in punishment of the prosecuted. Even though this type of solution to overburdened authorities active in criminal proceedings seems to be quite positive, there are some critics that find this method in conflict with some basic principals of continental criminal proceeding. This thesis introduces the agreement process in general view, briefly examines its origins and focuses mainly on its legislation in the Czech Republic and Germany. Legislative force in the Czech Republic implemented the agreement on guilt and punishment into criminal proceedings by an amendment of Criminal Procedure Code No. 193/2012 Sb. as a completely new diversion, respectively as special...

No description available.