Criminal Law Flashcards
Elements of a crime
- actus reus (physical act)
- mens rea (mental state)
- concurrence of act and mental state
- causation (sometimes)
Actus reus
Voluntary physical act OR omission when there was a legal duty to act
Bodily movements with no criminal liability (involuntary)
- conduct not product of one’s own volition
- reflexive or convulsive act
- act performed while unconscious or asleep
Failure to act gives rise to criminal liability if:
- Legal duty to act
- D knows about facts giving rise to duty AND
- reasonably possible to perform duty
Legal duty to act (5 circumstances)
- by statute (filing a tax return)
- by contract (lifeguard or nurse on duty)
- relationship between the parties (parent/child and spouse/spouse)
- voluntary assumption of care (“I’ll save him!”)
- D created the peril (pushing a person who can’t swim into the pool)
Possession as a crime
D has control of item for long enough period of time to have opportunity to terminate possession
Can be actual or constructive - located in an area within D’s dominion and control
Must be aware of possession, but not illegality if not state of mind requirement in the statute
Specific intent
Crime requires act PLUS doing it with a specific objective
Doing the act alone ≠ specific intent
Additional defenses available for specific intent crimes
- voluntary intoxication
- unreasonable mistake of fact
Specific intent crimes
Students Can Always Fake A Laugh, Even For Ridiculous Bar Facts
- Solicitation = intent to have person solicited commit a crime
- Conspiracy = intent to have crime completed
- Attempt = intent to complete the crime
- First degree premeditated murder = premeditated intent to kill
- Assault = intent to commit a battery
- Larceny = intent to permanently deprive other of interest in property taken
- Embezzlement = intent to defraud
- False pretenses = intent to defraud
- Robbery = intent to permanently deprive other of interest in property taken
- Burglary = intent to commit felony in dwelling
- Forgery = intent to defraud
Malice crimes and intent required
second degree murder and arson
reckless disregard of obvious or high risk that particular harmful result will occur
General intent
D had an awareness of all factors constituting the crime
Catch-all category for any crime not a specific intent crime
Strict Liability Crimes
D can be found guilty from mere fact that they committed the act
No mens rea requirement = Any defense that negates state of mind is not available
MPC Mens Reas and Standards (Objective or Subjective)
Purposely = conscious objective is to engage in certain conduct or cause certain result (subjective)
Knowingly = aware that conduct is of particular nature or that certain circumstances exist (subjective)
Recklessly = conscious disregard of a substantial and unjustifiable risk (subjective and objective)
Negligently = failure to be aware of substantial and unjustifiable risk (objective)
Common Law Mens Reas and Standards (Objective or Subjective)
Specific intent = intent to engage in proscribed conduct (subjective)
General intent = awareness of acting in proscribed manner (subjective)
Malice = reckless disregard of known risk (subjective)
Strict Liability = conscious commission of a proscribed act (not applicable - intent irrelevant)
Corporations may be held liable for crimes/acts performed by:
- an agent of the corporation acting within scope of employment OR
- a corporate agent high enough in hierarchy to presume their acts reflect corporate policy
Transferred intent and applicable crimes
D held liable when they intend the harm actually caused, but to a different victim or object
Applies to homicide, battery and arson
does NOT apply to attempt
A person found guilty of crime based on transferred intent is guilty of…
1) completed crime against actual victim and
2) attempt against intended victim
Concurrence of mens rea and actus reus
D must have had necessary intent for the crime AT THE TIME they committed the crime and intent must have prompted the act
Common law parties to a crime
Principals in first degree = engaged in crime
Principals in second degree = aided, advised or encouraged principal and present at crime
Accessories before the fact = assisted or encouraged but not present
Accessories after the fact = knowledge of the crime and assisted to escape arrest or punishment
CL required conviction of principal for conviction of accessory - mostly abolished now
Modern accomplice liability
Principal = person who engages in act or omission of the crime
- liable for principal crime
Accomplice = person who aids, encourages or advises principal in commission of the crime charged
- liable for principal crime if they intended to aid or encourage crime
Accessory after the fact = one who assists in escaping knowing there was a crime
- liable for separate, less serious crime of being an accessory after the fact
Mental state required for accomplice to a crime
dual intent:
1) intent to assist the principal in commission of a crime AND
2) intent that the principal commit the crime
Mere knowledge ≠ liability
Mental state required for accomplice to recklessness or negligence crime
1) Intent to facilitate commission of crime AND
2) acted with recklessness or negligence
Scope of accomplice liability
Liable for:
1) crimes they did or counseled AND
2) any other probable and foreseeable crimes committed in course of committing the crime
Exclusions from accomplice liability
- Members of the protected class
- Necessary parties to a crime not provided for in the statute
- Withdrawal from the crime before it becomes unstoppable:
- repudiate encouragement
- attempt to neutralize assistance
- notifying the police
mere withdrawal from involvement without additional action is not effective withdrawal
Crimes committed prior to or in preparation of a more serious offense
solicitation, attempt, conspiracy
Crimes committed against property
Habitation = burglary, arson
Personal property = larceny, embezzlement, false pretenses, robbery
Crimes committed against a person
Death = murder, manslaughter, felony murder
No death = battery, assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, rape
Inchoate offenses
incomplete crimes = conspiracy, solicitation, attempt
Elements of conspiracy
- agreement between 2 or more persons
- intent to enter into an agreement
- intent by at least 2 persons to achieve criminal or unlawful objective
- overt act, including mere preparation (modern law in most states)
Agreement for conspiracy
doesn’t have to be express –> can be inferred from joint activity or mutual action
Objective must be CRIMINAL or unlawful
Number of people required for conspiracy
Unilateral approach (MPC) = only one party needs genuine criminal intent
- e.g., policeman working under cover
Bilateral approach (CL) = at least 2 parties must have criminal intent
-e.g., if one party is feigning intent, no conspiracy
Wharton Rule
No conspiracy unless more parties involved than are necessary to commit the crime
e.g., for conspiracy to commit adultery, three people are needed
Agreement with person in “protected class”
A person a criminal statute is designed to protect cannot be guilty of the crime itself or conspiracy to commit the crime
If only two people - nonprotected person also cannot be guilty of conspiracy
Effect of Acquittal of Co-Conspirators
If all other co-conspirators are acquitted, remaining D cannot be convicted
Acquittals show there was no one with whom D could conspire
Mental state for conspiracy
Specific intent crime
1) intent to agree AND
2) intent to achieve objective of conspiracy
- both parties in CL states
- at least one party in MPC states
Overt act for conspiracy
An act done in furtherance of a conspiracy, including mere preparation
- not required at CL (conspiracy was complete when agreement with intent was reached)
- now required by most states
Termination of conspiracy
Usually upon completion of the crime
Point at which conspiracy terminates is important –> acts and statements of co-conspirators are admissible against D ONLY IF they were done or made IN FURTHERANCE of the conspiracy
Acts of concealment
Unless agreed to in advance, acts of concealment are NOT part of the conspiracy
Liability for co-conspirators’ crimes
Conspirator labile for crimes committed by other conspirators if the crimes were:
1) committed in furtherance of the objectives of the conspiracy AND
2) foreseeable
Factual Impossibility
NOT a defense to conspiracy
Withdrawal
NOT a defense to the conspiracy
BUT may be a defense to crimes committed in furtherance of the conspiracy, including the target crime
D can withdraw from liability for subsequent crimes but NOT the conspiracy itself
When withdrawal from conspiracy effective
performance of an affirmative act that notifies all members of conspiracy of the withdrawal
If conspirator supplied assistance as an accomplice, they must try to neutralize the assistance
Merger and conspiracy
Conspiracy and the completed target crime are DISTINCT crimes, so there is NO merger
D can be convicted and punished for both
Solicitation
1) asking, inciting, counseling, etc. another person to commit a crime
2) with the intent that the person commit the crime
3) person solicited need not agree to commit the crime
Defenses and non-defenses to solicitation
Defense = solicitor could not be found guilty of crime because of legislative intent to exempt
- e.g., minor urging adult to have sex with them
MPC defense = renunciation if D prevents commission of the crime
Non-defense = person solicited is not convicted
Non-defense = factual impossibility
Merger and solicitation
Person solicited agrees to commit crime = merges with crime of conspiracy
Attempt
An act done with an intent to commit a crime that falls short of completing the crime
1) specific intent PLUS
2) an overt act in furtherance of the crime
No such thing as attempt for crimes requiring negligence or recklessness
Overt act for attempt (and 2 tests)
Act beyond mere preparation
CL proximity test = act was “dangerously close” to successful completion of the crime
MPC substantial step test = act was a substantial step toward completing the crime, which strongly corroborates the criminal purpose
Defenses (and non-defenses) to crime of attempt
1) abandonment = must be fully voluntary and complete
- MPC defense
- not a defense at CL
2) legal impossibility = what the person did was not actually a crime, even if they thought it was a crime
- rare defense
3) factual impossibility = crime cannot actually happen because of some physical or factual condition, unknown to D
- NOT a defense
Merger and attempt
D cannot be charged with both attempt to complete a crime AND the completed crime
Attempt merges with the crime if completed and D is only charged with ONE
Common law murder
unlawful killing of a human being WITH malice aforethought