Lecture at U.S. Consulate General, Naha
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June 2007
June 29, 2007
June 25, 2007
June 21, 2007
Will Saiban-in System Make Police More Accountable?
The Asahi Shimbun reported today:
TAKAOKA, Toyama Prefecture--The first hearing Wednesday in the retrial of a man wrongly imprisoned for rape showed that police and prosecutors withheld evidence proving he was innocent. The 40-year-old defendant was convicted of two counts of rape and attempted rape in 2002 and spent 25 months in prison. "I did not commit those acts," the man told the court. Demonstrating the bizarre nature of the retrial, prosecutors actually admitted they had no case and that the defendant, who wishes to remain anonymous, was innocent of the charges just as he had claimed. It was not a complete victory for the defendant, however. Satoshi Fujita, presiding judge at the Takaoka branch of the Toyama District Court, rejected a request by defense lawyers for police officers who originally questioned the man to testify in court.
June 20, 2007
Asahi Shimbun Article about my Work
Download asahi_shimbun200706201.pdf
Today, the Asahi Shimbun profiled me in its daily ひと column.
裁判員制度をサポートする米国の弁護士 ロバート・プレクトさん 戦後初めて、ふつうの市民が裁判に加わり有罪無罪を決めるようになる日本で何が起こるか——。それを直接知りたくて、東京に居を移して１年半になる。 ミシガン大…… (2007/06/20)
About Me
- I am a New York lawyer associated with the Maureen & Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana. This is an exciting time in the evolution of rule of law in Asia. Japan is about to institute a jury system called saiban-in and China is examining ways to improve its criminal justice system. I've been making frequent trips to Asia to consult to groups on legal reform issues.
