美國刑法中的文化辯護及其啟示

Cultural Defense in American Criminal Law and Its Enlightenment

文化辯護是隨著美國移民增加和文化多元凸顯而出現的一種新型刑事辯護。二十多年來，美國法律學者中贊成者與反對者對文化辯護各執一詞。從美國司法實踐來看，贊成者的觀點逐漸被部分法院接受，一些州法院甚至聯邦法院在刑事案件中採納了文化證據。文化辯護現在還不是一種獨立、正式的辯護類型，往往是與傳統類型的辯護結合使用。文化證據既可以在審前程序和庭審程序中起作用，也可能在執行程序中發揮作用。文化辯護可以在辯訴交易中降低控方指控或在審判中使被告人獲得輕罪甚至無罪判決，還可能導致被執行人提前假釋。文化辯護的案件處理過程中，關於文化的專家證言起著關鍵作用。美國刑法中的文化辯護具有一定的合理性，對完善我國相關的辯護制度不乏啟示意義。

Cultural defense newly came into being according to the increase of immigrant and the highlight of cultural pluralism in USA. Proponents and opponents had different attitudes to this kind of defense in over twenty years. The attitudes of proponents were partly accepted in judicial practice, more and more state courts (even some federal courts) accepted cultural evidences in criminal cases. Cultural defense is not a formal defense in criminal case for the moment; it is comprised of the traditional defenses. Cultural evidence can be used in pretrial process or trial process, and it plays a role in the process of penalty enforcement also. Cultural defense can lower the charge in plea bargaining, mitigate the penalty or even result in judgment of acquittal in trial, and it may play a role in releasing on parole. The expert testimony is vital to criminal case with cultural defense. Cultural defense in criminal law in USA affords successful experience for improving relative system of criminal law in our country.