中文摘要：

2009年通过的《刑法修正案（七）》将绑架罪的最低法定刑减档,即情节较轻的,处5年以上10年以下有期徒刑。这一修改增加了绑架罪的罪质层次,使得罪刑关系更加协调。然而,如何评价、理解和适用＂情节较轻＂的规定又成了刑法理论和司法实践亟待解决的难题。实际上,设置＂情节较轻＂的初衷和目的在于给实施绑架行为但社会危害性以及行为人人身危险性不大的行为人提供一个减轻处罚的契机。认真分析可知,＂情节较轻＂中的＂情节＂应当是指绑架罪构成要件事实之外的,所有能够体现行为客观的社会危害性与行为人主观的人身危险性的酌定情节,其本身是与法定减轻情节互相独立、分别评价的。立基于120个生效司法判决的司法实证数据统计、分析,可以正向归纳出＂情节较轻＂适用的典型情形,但仍然存在概括不足的通病——不周延性。对此,通过认真分析司法实证统计数据,采用逆向思维,可以反向界定＂情节较轻＂的除斥标准,正反两个维度的评价标准相结合,将更为清晰、准确地界定绑架罪＂情节较轻＂的适用。

英文摘要：

The 7th Chinese Criminal Amendment passed in 2009 had changed the provision of kidnapping by reducing its legal penalty. If the circumstances are relatively minor, the criminal will be sentenced to fixed--term imprisonment from 5 to10 years. This modification broadens the penalty level of kidnapping and harmonizes the relationship of crime behaviors and penalty they deserves. However, how to evaluate, understand and apply the provision of ＂relatively minor circumstances＂ has become a problem demanding to be solved immediately both in criminal theory and judicial practice. In fact, the original intention and purpose of setting the ＂relatively minor circumstance＂ is to provide an opportunity to mitigate the punishment for the actors who commit kidnapping crime with less harmfulness done to society and personal dangerousness. Through careful analysis, we can get to know that the ＂circumstances＂ in ＂relatively minor circumstances＂ should refer to all the discretionary circumstances which beyond the basic crime-forming facts of kidnapping and be able to reflect the objective social harmfulness of acts and subjective personal dangerousness of actors. The circumstances are mutually independent and separated from legal mitigated circumstances. Base on the judicial empirical data statistics of 120 effective judicial judgments, we can summarize and conclude the typical circumstances of applying the ＂relatively minor circumstances＂, but the common issue of undistribution still exists. According to this situation, by careful analysis to the statistics and using reverse thinking, we can define the excluded criterion of ＂relatively minor circumstances＂ from the negative direction. Then combine the positive and negative dimensions of criterion together, it will help us to define the application of ＂relatively minor circumstances＂ of kidnapping more clearly and accurately.