Crim Flashcards
learn it
General Reqs for Conspiracy
-Intentional agreement between two or more persons;
-specific attempt to commit an unlawful act or a lawful act by unlawful means; and
-An overt act in furtherance of the unlawful act (only required for half the states and the MPC)
Unilateral Theory of Conspiracy
MPC/Majority - Only one person needs to specifically intend to enter the agreement
Minority/Common Law - Bilateral
Two or more ppl gotta specifically intent to enter agreement
Overt act
Warrantless search
Theft Crime: Forgery
Forgery is the:
i) Making;
ii) Of a false writing;
iii) With apparent legal significance; and
iv) With the intent to defraud (i.e., make wrongful use of the forged document).
Making includes creating, altering, or fraudulently inducing another to sign a document when that person is unaware of the significance of the document.
Specific Intent Crimes
FIAT
First Degree Murder
Inchoate Offenses
Assault with Intent to Commit Battery
Theft Offenses
General Intent crime
General-intent crimes (e.g., battery, rape, kidnapping, and false imprisonment)
* Require the intent to perform an unlawful act
* Intent—purposely, knowingly, recklessly, or negligently
Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
In order to reverse a conviction on the grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel, the defendant must prove both
- there was actual prejudice to the D
- counsel fell below OBJECTIVE standard
Withdrawal as a defense to conspiracy
At CL - Withdrawal is not a defense (and overt act not required)
Federal/majority rule—withdrawal is possible after the agreement and BUT BEFORE the
commission of an overt act, but D must give notice to co-conspirators or give timely
notice to police - b/c the conspiracy does not exist untl the over act is committed
Under the MPC and the minority view - subsequent withdrawal is possible only if the defendant acts voluntarily to “thwart the success” of the conspiracy.
Conspiracy at Common Law
- An agreement;
- Between two or more persons (bilateral conspiracy);
- To accomplish an unlawful purpose;
- With the intent to accomplish that purpose.
A contrast b/w conspiracy and the substantial step required for attempt
Contrast attempt: To constitute attempt, the defendant must have taken a substantial step toward commission of the crime. A mere preparatory act is insufficient for attempt.
Conspiracy Majority
- An agreement;
- Between at least one person (unilateral when only one party actually agrees majority and
MPC; not recognized under common or federal law) - To accomplish an unlawful purpose;
- With the intent to accomplish that purpose.
- Overt Act
Scope of Conspiracy
A conspirator is liable for conspiracy and the co-conspirators’ substantive crimes
committed in furtherance of the conspiracy (Pinkerton Rule).
*Under the MPC, the minority view, a member of the conspiracy is not criminally liable for such crimes unless that member aids and abets in the commission of the crime
Does conspiracy merge?
NO -It is a separate crime
Can D escape liability for underlying/substantive crimes even if they are guilty of conspiracy?
Liability for substantive crimes—for this purpose, D may withdraw by giving notice to
his co-conspirators or timely advising legal authorities of the existence of the
conspiracy even though such an action does not thwart the conspiracy
Intent Required for Conspiracy
Conspiracy is a specific-intent crime. A conspirator must have the intent to agree and the intent to commit the criminal objective. The intent to agree may be inferred from the conduct of the parties.
That is, even if the UNDERLYING crime is not specific intent…the conspiracy crime is
Derivative Use Immunity
Derivative-use immunity protects a witness from the use of the witness’s own testimony, or any evidence derived from that testimony, against the witness in a subsequent prosecution.
ONLY precludes the prosecution from using the witness’s own testimony, or any evidence derived from the testimony, against the witness does not necessarily preclude later prosecution against them bvased on other evidence.
But does not protect him from its use in a civil suit.
Transactional Immunity
Transactional—blanket or total immunity, fully protects a witness from future
prosecution for crimes RELATED to testimony
Immunity
The prosecution may compel incriminating testimony (at trial or before a grand jury) if it grants immunity to the individual and the individual must testify. The testimony cannot be used against the individual, directly or indirectly, in a subsequent prosecution.
BUT CAN in CIVIL ACTION!!!
Testimony made under grant of immunity….
Testimony under a grant of immunity may not be used by another U.S. jurisdiction to prosecute the defendant.
Thus, a state grant of immunity will preclude admission of the testimony in a federal proceeding
Peremptory Challenges
A prosecutor is free to exercise peremptory challenges in any manner he sees fit unless such exercise violates the Equal Protection Clause. The Equal Protection Clause prevents the use of peremptory challenges for racially or gender motivated reasons. Since the prosecutor did not use peremptory challenges for either of these reasons, the judge should overrule the defendant’s objection.
Malice Crimes
Common Law Murder and Arson
What does malice mean?
-Reckless disregard of a high risk of harm
* Does not require D to act with ill will toward victim
General Intent Crimes
General intent crimes require only the intent to perform an act that is unlawful. Examples include false imprisonment and rape.
Theft Crimes
Larceny by Trick, Larceny, Forgery, Embezzlement, False Pretenses, RobberY, burglary
All are SPECIFIC INTENT
Honest mistake of fact is a defense
Burglary CL
-Breaking and; (only a tiny amount of force required…like opening door).
* Entering;
* Of the dwelling; (could be a separately secured room, but needs intent still))
* Of another;
* At nighttime;
* With the specific intent to commit a felony therein.
5th Amendment only protects
Only testimonial evidence is covered by the Fifth Amendment privilege; physical or real evidence is not.
HOWEVER, for ex. while defendant’s handwriting in itself is not testimonial, the defendant’s answer to the question would be, because he would be identifying himself as the person who wrote the note.
5th amendment - can a prosecutor in a criminal trial comment on someone’s pleading the 5th/remaining silent
NO
but in a civil trial, this can be commented on
Remedy for Police Failure to Knock and Announce
If they had otherwise valid warrant, etc, they should Knock and Announce BUT failure to do so does not trigger Exclusionary Rule.
The remedy for this failure is 1983 case. Not exclusion of the criminal evidence.
Larceny
- The Trespassory (non consensual)
- Taking and;
- Carrying away;
- Of the personal property;
- Of another;
- With the specific intent to permanently deprive the owner of the property
Mistake of Fact - is a defense
Weird caveat - the taking of personal property with the intent to return it to the owner only in exchange for a reward is sufficient to constitute an intent to permanently deprive the owner of the property.
For specific intent crime, is mistake of fact a defense? at CL
Yes. It is a defense to specific-intent crimes, even if unreasonable. So long as it was honest.
why does this make sense?
Honest mistake serves as a defense to a specific intent crime because such an honest mistake negates the required mens rea.
Is Mistake of Fact a defense for general intent or malice crimes
Sometimes. Only if the mistake was reasonable!
Imperfect Self-Defense
When you use deadly force but it was not justified. Operates to reduce murder to voluntary manslaughter.
In many states (most), murder may be reduced to voluntary manslaughter when the defendant contends that his use of deadly force was necessary in defense of himself or others, but
(i) the defendant started the altercation or
(ii) the defendant unreasonably (even if honestly) believed in the necessity of using deadly force.
When does imperfect self-D usually come up?
When a defendant honestly but unreasonably believes that deadly force is required to prevent death or serious bodily injury.
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
he Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the federal government from imposing cruel and unusual punishment for federal crimes, or “such punishment as would amount to torture or barbarity, any cruel and degrading punishment not known to the common law, or any fine, penalty, confinement, or treatment so disproportionate to the offense as to shock the moral sense of the community.”
Do 3-strikes/recidivism statutes violation Constitution when they impose life sentence?
No
Some jurisdictions have statutes imposing mandatory indeterminate life sentences (e.g., 25 years to life) on defendants who commit three felonies, even if the felonies are non-violent property-related offenses.
These recidivist statutes are not unconstitutional under either the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment or the Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause of the Eighth Amendment. Ewing v. California, supra.
8a - when Physical Force as cruel and unusual punishment
A prisoner need not show serious injury to recover for a violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The inquiry is whether the physical force was applied in a good-faith effort to maintain or restore discipline, rather than applied maliciously and sadistically to cause harm.
8a - physical conditions of incarceration
The physical conditions of incarceration amount to cruel and unusual punishment only if the prisoner can show that prison officials had actual knowledge of a substantial risk to the prisoners.
Sentence Proportionality
A sentence that is grossly disproportionate to the crime constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. However, a lengthy sentence does not necessarily violate the Eighth Amendment.
Right to Counsel - 5a and 6a
Comes up under 5a and 6a
6a when does it attach?
Attaches when formal judicial proceedings begin. (e.g., post-arrest initial appearance before a judicial officer, formal charge,
preliminary hearing, indictment, information, or arraignment);
*no right to counsel at postconviction proceedings (e.g., parole, probation)
Under the Sixth Amendment, interrogation constitutes a “critical stage” of prosecution, such that a post-charge interrogation in the absence of counsel violates a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel unless the defendant has waived such right. Interrogation includes not only formal questioning by the police, but any conduct of the police that is intended to elicit a response from a defendant
What are Sixth Amendment Rights?
Right to jury, public trial, confront witnesses against him, cross-examine
witnesses, be present at his own trial, and assistance of counsel for his defense
Waiver of 6A rights?
Must be voluntary, knowing, and intelligent;
receiving a Miranda warning
sufficiently apprises a person of his Sixth Amendment rights and the consequences of
waiving those rights (even though Miranda rights arise from the Fifth Amendment)
4a Applies to
Arrest, search, and seizure by GOVERNMENT
4a Exclusionary Rule
Prevents introduction at a subsequent criminal trial of evidence unlawfully seized. Its a judicially mandated remedy.
- Does not apply to:
federal habeas corpus review, grand jury proceedings,
preliminary/bail/sentencing hearings, proceedings to revoke parole, evidence used as
impeachment evidence against the defendant, or civil proceedings
who makes decision RE suppression?
- Suppression decisions made by a judge;
factual findings are reviewed for clear error
while findings of law are reviewed de novo
4A Standing
4a Rights are personal and may not be asserted vicariously.
A defendant cannot successfully challenge governmental conduct as a violation of the 4a protection against unreasonable searches and seizures unless the defendant himself has been seized or he has a reasonable expectation of privacy with regard to the place searched or the item seized. Even if the evidence seized is incriminating