美国法的“刑”与“非刑”

The "Crime" and "Tort" Distinction in American Law

从理论研究以及司法实践的角度来看,"刑"与"非刑"之间的区别都显得十分重要,随着时代的不断发展,包括美国法在内的很多法律体系当中都出现了"刑法民法化"以及"民法刑罚化"这样的两种并行趋势,从而使得原本尚属明晰的"刑"与"非刑"之间的区隔变得愈发模糊。美国法"刑"与"非刑"关系传统界别往往关注二者之间责任类型的不同归属、行为性质的不同认定、立法目的的不同设定、救济模式的不同特质以及救济程序的不同厘定。本文通过对美国法"刑"与"非刑"二元分野合理性的反思与追问,着力对于美国法"刑"与"非刑"关系之间的模糊地带,特别是所谓的"惩罚性民事制裁"问题加以深入研究,继而从一个更为深入的层面对这一问题加以明晰。

From the perspectives of academic research and judicial practice,the distinction between 'crime' and 'tort' (or between criminal and civil laws) has its own implication. As the times go by,there are two tendencies emerged in many legal systems,including American legal system,namely the 'civilization of the criminal law' and the 'penalization of the civil law'. This has led to the confusion of the original relatively-clear distinction between the two. In American Law,the traditional relationship between 'crime' and 'tort' tends to emphasize on the different types of liabilities,different identifications of the nature of the act,different objectives of legislators,different features of remedies and different application of remedy procedures. By examining the rationality of the distinction between the 'crime' and 'tort' ,this article tries to analyze and study the blurred area of the said relationship,especially the so-called 'punitive civil sanctions' ,so to bring a clarification on the basis of intensive studies.