轻罪治理背景下不起诉裁量权的运行张力与程序优化

Tension in the Exercise of Non-Posecution Discretion and Procedural Optimization under the Background of Misdemeanor Governance

轻罪立法下轻罪数量大幅增加,犯罪结构发生重大变化,我国进入轻罪占比居多的“轻罪时代”。轻微犯罪通常罪责较轻且悖德性弱,坚持“一律起诉、一律定罪”的司法作业模式容易引发道德可罚性难题并造成机械正义困境。“慎诉”政策的提出便是针对大规模轻罪立法的司法回应,要求检察官摆脱机械司法,在合法性事由之外,以合理性事由谨慎对待起诉,后者对检察官用好、用足不起诉裁量权提出了要求。然而,目前不起诉裁量权与公诉机械倾向还存在内在张力。犯罪量飙升的客观现实和嵌套在科层制链条中的检察官角色以及“传送带”式司法作业模式都在各自层面上强化了公诉的机械属性。此外,检察官个人职业性麻木以及法律思维习惯也在一定程度加剧了公诉机械倾向。克服裁量权运行张力,从长远来看需要改变以“犯罪控制”为价值导向的司法效率观,强化检察官的司法担当;在具体技术处理上则应该从外部扩宽裁量权行使的程序空间,从内部打破机械管理并增加公开听证。

The misdemeanors legislation has led to a significant increase in the proportion of misdemeanors,thus altering the previous criminal structure and heralding China’s entry into the“era of misdemeanors”where most crimes are minor.Minor crimes are usually less culpable and less immoral,and adherence to the judicial mode of operation of“prosecute and convict all”tends to raise moral punishable issues and create mechanical justice dilemmas.The policy of“prudent prosecution”is a judicial response to misdemeanor legislation,which requires prosecutors to break away from mechanical justice and to be prudent about prosecution on grounds of reasonableness in addition to legality.Reasonableness requirement requires prosecutors to make good use of their discretion not to prosecute.However,there is still a tension between the discretion not to prosecute and the mechanical tendency to prosecute.The reality of soaring crime and the role of prosecutors nested in a hierarchical chain and‘conveyor belt’mode of judicial operation all reinforced the mechanical nature of public prosecution.In addition to the above objective constraints,the professional numbness,and legal habits of mind of individual prosecutors because of their long careers have also exacerbated the mechanical tendencies of public prosecution.To overcome the inherent tensions in the operation of discretionary powers,in the long run it is necessary to change judicial efficiency conception under the“crime control”value orientation,and to strengthen the judicial awareness and responsibility of prosecutors;in terms of specific technical reform,the procedural space for the exercise of discretionary powers should be expanded from the externel,the mechanical administration should be broken from the internal wehreas public hearings should be increased.