摘要
「獄成」，指的是結束事實認定而轉向定擬罪刑的階段，亦即為事實認定的穩定狀態。本文藉由剖析清代後期無法取得認罪口供案件的「獄成」過程，以研究認罪口供及替代認罪口供的眾證，在刑事審判上所具有的功能。
關於清代後期無法取得認罪口供時，應如何定罪的規範，在成文法方面，審判案件時需有眾證，且在笞、杖案件方面，須經刑部的批准；徒罪以上的案件，則須達到皇帝的裁可。刑部審理死刑案件時，即使有眾證，若無認罪口供，最終也會做出駁回的決定。
但是，雖然有這樣規範，卻有官員尚未向皇帝或刑部請求批准，即依自己判斷先行處罰的案例。在這些案例中，有依眾證來認定犯罪行為者，也有通過否定性的品行評價，將本人並未承認的犯罪行為連結起來者。前者，基本上仍考慮了律例，仍用眾證。後者，根據更本質的「惡行應懲戒」的刑罰觀念，以品行評價作為認定事實時的決定性根據，或者以品行評價來判處刑罰。
以這樣「獄成」過程的理解作為前提，在「獄成」階段，認罪口供含有最後確認的意義。至於眾證，則是用來代替證明犯罪事實的。在功能上，認罪口供和眾證不過都僅是「獄成」階段中的證據之一而已。在「獄成」以後的階段，認罪口供抑制著犯罪人的翻異與上控，可以實現審判過程的穩定。至於眾證，則沒有抑制上控，使審判過程穩定的功能。
The aim of this paper is to study about the function of confession or witness of others as a substitute for confession on criminal procedure in late Qing Dynasty through analyzing the process of “Yu-Cheng” that means a stabilization of acknowled-gment of guilt on the case without confession.
As the standards for the case without confession in late Qing Dynasty, it was provided that officials obtain witness of others on trial, and then need the sanction of Board of Punishment for “Chi-Zhang”cases; need the sanction of the Emperor for over “Tu” cases. And for capital cases, even though officials obtained witness of others, Board of Punishment demanded offender’s confession from officials.
Although these standards exist, officials made a decision on punishment without the sanction of Board of Punishment or Emperor. In such cases, one is to identify guilt by witness of others, the other is to connect a wrong estimation of offender’s character with criminal act that he didn’t admit. The former used witness of others in consideration for statute law. The latter made a proof of guilt of an estimation of his character or punished by an estimation of his character around a more essential penal idea that “evil deed must be punished”.
On the basis of understanding about such process of “Yu-Cheng”, at the stage of “Yu-Cheng”, confession is to make sure finally, witness of others is to prove his crime that confession was not obtained. Functionally, these are merely one of evidence at this stage. At the stage after “Yu-Cheng”, confession has a function to realize the stability of criminal procedure through restraining offender from appeal and changing statement, witness of others doesn’t have this function through restraining offender from changing statement.
關鍵詞
獄成、認罪口供、眾證、律例、品行評價、證據、刑事審判、穩定
Yu-Cheng、confession、witness of others、statute law、estimation of offender’s character、evidence、criminal procedure、stability