Criminal Law Flashcards
When does a state have jusrisdiction over a crime?
(1) Committed in the state, (2) act outside that affects the state.
When a crime occurs in multiple states, which state has jurisdiction?
All states affected have jurisdiction simultaneously.
What is the effect of committing a crime that can be convicted as both a felony and misdemeanor?
The two are merged into the more serious form of crime.
What types of crime merge?
Solicitation and attempt merge. Conspiracy does not merge into other crime.
How many incohate crimes can somone be convicted?
Only one inchoate, except for conspiracy.
What is the distinction between solicitation and conspiracy?
Asking someone to commit a crime is solicitation. If someone agrees to commit the crime then it becomes conspiracy.
What is a felony?
Any crime that can be punished by death or more than one year in prison.
What are the elements of all crimes?
(1) Act, (2) intent, (3) concurrence, and (4) effect.
What is concurrence?
For a defendant to be liable the criminal act and requisite intent must occur simultaneously.
What are the kinds of an act for a crime?
(1) Physical, (2) voluntary, and (3) either (a) affirmative or (b) ommission from duty.
When is a failure to act criminal?
When there is a legal affirmative duty act in the circumstances and is reasonably able to act.
What are the five principal sources of a legal duty to act?
(1) Statute, (2) Contract, (3) Status relationship, (4) voluntary assumption of care, or (5) in creating peril.
What are the three elements for a failure in assumption of care?
(1) A person voluntarily, (2) assumes a duty of care, and (3) fails to perform accordingly.
What duties arise upon voluntarily creating peril?
To act reasonably
What defenses are available for specific intent crimes only?
(1) Voluntary intoxication and (2) Unreasonable mistake of fact
What is attempt?
(1) Over act that is (2) a substantial step, (3) towards the commission of a crime, (4) with the requisite intent.
What are the specific intent crimes?
(1) Solicitation (2) Conspiracy (3) Attempt (4) False Pretenses (5) Assault (6) Larceny (7) Embezzlement (8) Forgery (9) Robbery (10) Burglary and (11) First Degree Premeditated Murder
Students Can Always Fake A Laugh, Even For Ridiculous Bar Facts
Solicitation Conspiracy Attempt First-degree murder Assault Larceny Embezzlement Forgery Robbery Burglary and False pretenses
What are the malicious intent crimes?
(1) Murder and (2) Arson
When is there vicarious liability?
An employer may be held criminally liable for the criminal conduct of their subordinates when acting within the scope of their duty or under their supervision and seleciton.
What are the three elements of malice?
(1) Reckless disregard for (2) an obvious high risk that (3) a particular harm will happen.
Are specific intent defenses available for malicious or general intent crimes?
No. Voluntary intoxication and unreasonable mistake of fact are unavailable as defenses.
What are the general intent crimes?
(1) Battery, (2) rape, (3) kidnapping, and (4) false imprisonment.
What is mens rea?
The mental element required at the time of a crime committed.
What are the forms of mens rea?
(1) specific intent, (2) general intent, and (3) malice.
What is criminal strict liability?
No mens rea required and a defendant guilty simply from committing the act.
What is “merger” in crimes?
Two or more offenses merge prohibiting separate prosecution if there are (1) inchoate offenses and (2) lesser included offenses.
When is there merger for incohate offenses?
(1) Solicitation and (2) attempt. NOT conspiracy.
When do lesser included offenses merge?
A lesser offense merges if the crime consists of the same but not all the elements as the greater crime. E.g. if someone dies as a consequence of a robbery, they will be charged with felony murder.
What creates a strict liability crime?
(1) Statutory rape, (2) administrative crimes, (3) regulatory crimes, or (4) morality area.
What are examples of morality crimes?
Bigamy and polygamy.
What are the four Common Law & model penal code mental states?
(1) Purposefully, (2) knowingly, (3) recklessly, and (4) negligently.
When is there “purposely”?
Conscious object to engage in the conduct or cause the result.
What is “knowingly”?
Aware conduct is of a particular nature or certain circumstances exist.
What is “recklessly”?
Consciously disregard substantial and unjustifiable risk.
What is “negligent”?
Fail to be aware of substantial and unjustifiable risk.
What is the distinction between reckless and negligent?
Recklessness is a subjective standard whereas negligence is an objective standard.
When is there transferred intent?
Defendant intended harm to a different victim or object and caused harm to a different victim.
What crimes can be convicted with transferred intent?
(1) Homicide, (2) battery, and (3) arson.
What crimes can be brought for transferred intent?
(1) Transferred attempt crime to actual victim AND (2) attempted crime for intended victim.
What are the subjects of accomplice liability under common law?
(1) A principal in the first degree [person who does it], (2) Principals in the second degree, (3) Accessories before the fact (4) Accessories after the fact.
When is someone an accomplice?
If they (1) Aid, (2) advise or counsel, and (3) encourage a crime.
What is aid?
Providing material assistance.
What is advise or counsel?
Providing information to commit the crime.
What is encourage?
Explicitly giving verbal encouragement to the crime.
What is a second degree principal?
(a) aid, advise, and encourage AND (b) were present for the crime.
When is there accessory before the fact?
Provides assistance, but not present during the crime.
What is accessory after the fact?
(1) Knowledge, (2) not present for the crime, and (3) provides assistance.
What is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for accomplice liability?
Knowledge alone is insufficient.
What is a withdraw?
Before the crime occurs, repudiate, neutralize any assistance, notify law enforcement and act to prevent any crime.
What are the elements of withdrawal?
(1) Repudiate prior or encouragement, (2) counteract prior aid to the extent possible, (3) before the chain of events is in motion.
What is conspiracy?
(1) Agreement, (2) intent to agree, (3) intent to achieve the unlawful objective, (4) overt act required in majority jurisdictions.
What is sufficient for agreement?
Any conduct that gives rise to the reasonable inference of agreement.
What is the modern unilateral approach for conspiracy?
Only one party must have a criminal attempt.
What is the traditional common law or bilateral view of conspiracy?
At least two guilty minds. One may expressly agree, but it is a feint.
When all other participants in a conspiracy are acquitted what happens?
(1) Unilateral or modern jurisdiction: may be convicted. (2) Common law jurisdiction: automatically acquitted.
What is the effect of crimes on co-conspirators?
If (1) foreseeable (2) the co-conspirator will be held liable for the crimes of the other conspirators if it (3) was within the scheme of the conspiracy.
What defense is unavailable to conspiracy?
Impossibility of fact.
How can one withdrawal from conspiracy?
Must perform affirmative act that notifies co-conspirators of intent to withdraw.
What is an overt act?
Any act beyond mere preperation.
What is proximity test?
“Dangerously close” to the completion. E.g. pointing a gun.
What is the modern or majority test?
A substantial test in course of conduct.
When is abandonment of attempt a defense?
Defense under MPC if (1) fully voluntary and (2) complete renunciation. Not available at common law.
When is there legal impossibility?
Committing an act they think is a crime, but is not actually a crime.
What is the factual impossibility defense?
The defendant is incapable of completing the substantive crime.
What are the types of murder?
(1) 1st degree, (2) 2nd degree, (3) voluntary manslaughter, and (4) involuntary manslaughter.
What is common law murder?
Unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought.
What is malice aforethought
Intent to (1) kill, (2) inflict serious bodily harm or (3) reckless indifference to an unreasonable degree of human life (4) intent to commit a felony.
What provides a valid inference of malice aforethought?
Use of deadly weapons.