Defenses and Due Process Kylee Rivers CJS/220 Defenses and Due Process According to Gardner and Anderson (2011), an individual is only charged for a crime he/she committed intentionally. He suggests that such a crime must be without defense so that an individual is declared guilty. Defenses are situations that can stop or lessen the guilt in a case. Presentations of evidence for such situations ensure an accused person is defended from guilt. According to Gardner and Anderson (2011), the common elements of defense include insanity, entrapment and self-defense.
Prosecutors can sometimes get away with misconduct as it is extremely difficult to prove that misconduct had actually taken place. Often times the prosecutor is viewed as being on the side of justice and as a result it is difficult for the defendant (who is accused of a crime) to turn the tide against the prosecution. Although during the trial both the defense as well as the judge may report a prosecutor for misconduct, this rarely happens as these reports are often dismissed. This is because as long as the prosecutions misconduct does not affect the outcome of the case, then it is tolerated, meaning that a prosecutor can harass a witness or the defendant so long as the harassment did not have anything to do with the outcome of the trial. The fact that the prosecutor works in the interests of the state can be seen as the underlying factor here.
Unit 24 - Assignment 1 Introduction For this assignment I will be describing the elements of a crime which are Mens Rea and Actus Reus. Mens Rea is Latin for 'guilty mind' and it is the mental thinking behind the crime which has been committed, it refers to the intentions of the person who committed the crime. For example, when someone commits theft their intention is to permanently deprive the owner/s of the object. Actus Reus is Latin for 'guilty act' and it can either be an act or a failure to act. For example, when someone commits theft they must've physically taken something.
But in contrast there are very different at the same time. The crime control model is used in the criminal justice system for the prevention of crime. The crime control does not exclude that is possible to make a mistake, but based on the circumstances of the laws, the person is considered guilty until her or she is proven innocent. This model is based on old fashion laws which allow rapid and speedy convictions despite the mitigating factors of the case and the victim. The results, of the crime control model are wrongful convictions, being over-turned and this is a major downfall in the criminal justice system.
Hence when the purpose is not met then there is definitely a need for corrective measures. And this cannot be met if laws were meant to be rigid or fixed. The basic ultimatum of a law is to ensure that under all circumstances it serves its basic purpose. when a law does not seek to know the circumstance or the situation under which it has been over ruled, it cannot determine if a certain case has been found guilty. The reason being human activities are very much dependant on what he or she was subjected to at that instance.
Fault is an essential element of criminal liability. It is a concept in criminal and civil law whereby the defendant is held responsible for doing something wrong. This can be through an act or omission and can be proven through the rules of causation. The implication of being found at fault is a criminal record whose consequences on the defendant personal life are serious. However, there are some types of behaviours such as Strict Liability offences which do not require fault but the defendant is still prosecuted.
ROLE OF THE TRIAL JUDGE Is the Case an Appropriate One for Punitive Damages? It is the responsibility of the trial judge, in the first instance, to determine whether the case is appropriate for punitive damages, i.e. whether the question of punitive damages will be submitted to the jury.' The main focus of that determination is the nature of the defendant's conduct. The trial judge looks for evidence that the defendant acted intentionally, outrageously, recklessly or with conscious disregard for the rights of others.
Actus Reus: Omissions The general rule is that omissions will not create criminal liability because offences are defined positively and not in terms of a failure to act although there are exceptions where an offence may be committed through an omission Omissions can only be done, in law, by those under an obligation to act WHICH OFFENCES CAN BE COMMITTED BY OMISSION? Offences in Statute Where a statute specifically provides that an actus reus is committed by omission it will be clear that duty to act has been imposed on a particular class of persons; the scope of any such duty will also be clear - Failing to provide a police officer with a specimen of breath when requested to do so contrary to S.6 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 - Failure to report an accident one is involved in will trigger criminal liability according to the Road Traffic Act 1988 - Failure to report an accident witnessed will also trigger criminal liability - Wilfully neglecting a child for whom you are responsible contrary to S.1(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 These are examples of statutory offences of "mere" omission - it is mere because it is based on probabilities. It is a conduct crime and does not need to have a negative result Where the conduct is not a crime but its result is harmful, the courts will find criminal liability based on the individual facts of the case Homicide Murder, as in Gibbons and Proctor, and manslaughter (involuntary and voluntary) are crimes which are deemed to be capable of being done by omission Murder and manslaughter are common law offences as are assault and battery which are, generally, considered to be capable of commission by omission Assault In Fagan v MPC, it was found that assault can not be done by omission apart from where the defendant has created a dangerous situation and failed to take steps to prevent it as in
------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION The general basis for imposing liability in criminal law is that the defendant must be proved to have committed a guilty act whilst having had a guilty state of mind. The physical elements are collectively called the actus reus and the accompanied mental state is called the mens rea. It is the fundamental duty of the prosecution to prove both of these elements of the offence to the satisfaction of the judge or jury beyond reasonable doubt. In the absence of such proof the defendant will be acquitted. ------------------------------------------------- ACTUS REUS An actus reus consists of more than just an act.
The restriction of the arbitrary exercise of power by subordinating it to well-defined and established laws. Which principle conception? Formal or substantive. Formalist definitions of the rule of law do not make a judgment about the "justness" of law itself, but define specific procedural attributes that a legal framework must have in order to be in compliance with the rule of law. Substantive conceptions of the rule of law go beyond this and include certain substantive rights that are said to be based on, or derived from, the rule of law.