Spring and Autumn Courts
Spring and Autumn Trials is an ancient Chinese way of adjudicating cases, in which judges judge how to convict a case based on the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Annals. The Spring and Autumn Trials began in the reign of Emperor Wu of Han and continued until the Tang dynasty when Confucianism and Jurisprudence merged to create the "unity of ritual and law".[1]
History
In the early years of the Western Han, most of the government's laws came from the Qin dynasty. However, as history developed the overly harsh Qin law could not adapt to social development. As Confucianism gradually gained the attention of the central government, especially after the reign of Han Wu Di, he "dismissed the hundred schools and Exclusive Confucianism", making Confucianism thought to become orthodox.
Dong Zhongshu was involved in important court positions, and even after he retired, the court would still seek his advice on cases. Dong Zhongshu and others organized and edited the Spring and Autumn Decisions than (also known as the Spring and Autumn Decisions of Jail), using the Spring and Autumn Period and other Confucian classics as a guide. This book contains 232 typical cases decided by the Spring and Autumn to serve as a reference basis for judging cases.[2]
断案方式
春秋决狱虽是以儒家的经典《春秋》作为断案参考，但实际上对案件的判断有一定的人情考虑，而不是死板照搬。以下是三个案例：
- Shizizhi
- 《太平御览》六百四十引中讲：乙与丙争吵打架，丙用佩刀刺乙，乙的儿子甲（见此情况）用棍子打丙，却误伤其父。
- 董仲舒认为，甲并非有意打伤父亲，因此以《春秋》许止进药的故事作参考，判甲的行为并不是殴父罪。
- County official
- 杜佑《通典》卷六十九载：甲生了儿子乙，却将其送给丙，求丙收养，乙由丙撫养，长大成人。有一天，甲因贪酒，喝醉了，对乙说：“你是我的儿子。”乙很生气，用棍子打了甲二十下。甲因为乙是他亲生，咽不下这口气，就向县官告乙殴父。
- 董仲舒认为，甲对乙有生育但没有养育之恩，已经没有了父子之义。不能判乙犯殴父罪。[3]
- calamity of witchcraft
- Jing Zhao Yin
- Jun Budo
- 班固《汉书》卷七十一、〈雋不疑传〉载：汉武帝時，卫太子刘据因巫蛊之祸而自尽身亡，但民间谣传其未死。至汉昭帝时，有人自称卫太子，诣长安北门，群臣束手无策，帝诏公卿将军中二千石杂识视，吏民聚观数万人，真假莫辨。京兆尹雋不疑赶到，依春秋時卫灵公子蒯聩出奔、其孫辄不纳返的先例将其拘捕，春秋决狱至此已演成解决政治疑难的司法手段。[4]
评价
正面
“春秋决狱”的核心是“论心定罪”，也就是按当事人的主观动机、意图、愿望来确定其是否有罪及量刑的轻重。春秋决狱在一定程度上限制了刑罚株连家族的问题，对减轻秦朝以来的严酷法律制度有一定的帮助。“春秋决狱”一定程度上稳定了当时的汉朝政权统治，并将儒家思想带进法律之中，进一步加强儒家思想对统治阶级的影响力。[3]
负面
但由于其具有一定的主观性及模糊性，尤其是将道德和法律的界限也模糊处理，也为后世的“文字狱”等统治者的主观意愿断案甚至是为惩罚某人而定罪提供一定的依据。[3]其实际上是扩大了断案者的主观判断影响力，也使断案产生了一定的随意性，从而给最终的断案结果带来负面影响。[5]
参见
参考文献
- ^ 再论《春秋》决狱之"原心定罪" 林顺虎 宜宾学院学报 2007 7(5)
- ^ "论汉朝的"春秋决狱"". Archived from the original on 2011-08-10. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
- ^ a b c "雅典学院：春秋决狱". Archived from the original on 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
- ^ 黄源盛：《中国传统法制与思想》，（台北）五南图书出版有限公司 1998 年版，152页
- ^ 由“春秋决狱”看法官自由裁量权的行使 Archived 2012-07-09 at archive.today
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