chapter 4 inside criminal law. learning objective 1 explain precedent and the importance of the...
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 4Inside Criminal Law
Learning Objective 1Explain precedent and the
importance of the doctrine of stare decisis
Learning Objective 1Law consists of enforceable rules
governing relationships among individuals and their society
An early example of law was Hammurabi’s Code, which was based on the principle of lex Talionis
English common law
Stare Decisis
Learning Objective 2List the four written sources of
American criminal law
Learning Objective 21. Constitutional
Law
The U.S. Constitution and the various state constitutions
2. Statutory Law
Laws and ordinances passed by Congress and state legislatures
3. Administrative Law
Regulations, created by agencies such as the federal Food and Drug Administration
4. Case Law Court decisions
Learning Objective 3Explain the two basic functions
of criminal law
Learning Objective 3Protect and Punish:
The legal function of the law
Maintain social order by protecting citizens from criminal harm
Includes harms to both individuals and society in general
Maintain and Teach:The social function of the law
Expressing public morality
Teaching societal boundaries
Learning Objective 4Delineate the elements
required to establish mens rea (a guilty mental state)
Learning Objective 4Corpus delicti consists of:
Criminal Act Actus reus
Crimes may be acts of commission, or acts of omission, or even attempted acts
Mental State Mens rea
Intent is required to establish guilt of a crime. Intent includes elements of purpose, knowledge, negligence, and recklessness
Concurrence The guilty act and the guilty intent must occur
together
Learning Objective 5Explain how the doctrine of
strict liability applies to criminal law
Learning Objective 5Mens Rea plays a crucial role in
differentiating between varying degrees of criminal responsibility or criminal liabilityStrict Liability
Offenses hold the defendant guilty even if intent to commit the offense is lacking
Accomplice Liability Suspects can be charged for crimes they did
not actually commit if it can be proven they acted as an accomplice
Learning Objective 5Corpus delicti also consists of:
Causation
The criminal act caused the harm suffered
Attendant Circumstances
In certain crimes, accompanying circumstances are relevant to corpus delicti
Harm
Damages resultant from the criminal act Inchoate offenses are conduct deemed criminal without actual harm being done
Learning Objective 6List and briefly define the most
important excuse defenses for crimes
Learning Objective 6Excuse Defenses:
Infancy
Youthful offenders cannot understand the consequences of their actions.
Insanity
A person cannot have the state of mind to commit the crime if s/he didn’t know the act was wrong, or didn’t understand the quality of the act.
Intoxication
Mistake
Discussion Questions What category does the term
insanity come from?
What are some of the standards that are considered in the various states?
Video: Klan member verdict
Learning Objective 7Describe the four most
important justification defenses
Learning Objective 7 Justification Defenses:
DuressThe defendant is threatened with seriously bodily
harm, which induces him/her to commit the crimeSelf-Defense
The defendant must protect him/herself from injury by another
Duty to retreatNecessity
Circumstances required the defendant to commit the act
EntrapmentThe defendant claims to have been induced by
police to commit the act
Learning Objective 8Distinguish between
substantive and procedural criminal law
Learning Objective 8Substantive
Criminal Law:Law that defines the
acts
that the government will punish
Procedural Criminal Law:
Procedures, drawn
from the Bill of
Rights, that are
designed to protect
the constitutional
rights of individuals
Learning Objective 9Explain the importance of the
due process clause in the criminal justice system
Learning Objective 9Procedural due process is a provision
in the Constitution that states that the law must be carried out in a fair and orderly manner
Substantive due process is a Constitutional requirement that laws used in accusing and convicting persons of crimes must be fair