FINAL EXAM REVIEW Flashcards
Anything after midterm
Crime is put into three categories of offence. List all three
1) Offence against PERSONS
2) Offence against PROPERTY
3) Offences considered EVIL in themselves, irrespective of whether harm is done on another person or the property of another person
Examples of offences against persons
- culpable homicide
- sexual assault
- robbery
- assault
- attempted murder
Examples of offences against property
- theft
- fraud
- income tax evasion
- insider trading
- forgery
Examples of offences considered evil within themselves
- soliciting for prostitution
- pornography
- the use and distribution of certain drugs
- certain gaming activities
When did a CC finally exist within Canada and where/who was it adopted from?
- Adopted the British reform code written by Sir James Fitzjames Stephen.
Tort law
based on the idea that people are liable for the consequences of their actions, whether intentional or accidental, if they cause harm to another person or entity
In criminal law, the ______ interests is favourable in conviction and punishment, not the _____ interests
states, victims
In order to be convicted of a crime, an individual must have committed an ______ and simultaneously possess _______
actus reus, mens rea
actus reus
an evil act
mens rea
evil mind/intention
R. v. Cooper
He got drunk with a friend/lover and they got sexual in a jeep and he got pissed and strangled her to death but he claims that he “blacked out” and mens rea wasn’t evident but his appeal was dismissed and he was convicted because before he blacked out he was intending to cause bodily harm and he knew the consequences of strangling someone and cutting off their airway
mens rea can be proven in three ways (not the 3 C’s)
1) Intent
2) Recklessness
3) Wilful blindness
R. v. Hundal
A man that drove into downtown vancouvers intersection killed someone while driving past a red light and he was convicted because mens rea was evident NOT as a direct intent but rather as subjective intention to commit the given offene (based on recklessness)
Strict liability offence
crown needs to prove objective/intent and accused must prove innocence
Absolute liability offence
intent is irrelevant. The prosecutor needs to prove only that the person in question committed the offence
s. 21 of Criminal Code (parties to an offence)
s. 21(1) Every one is a party to an offence who
(a) actually commits it
(b) does/omits to do anything for the purpose of aiding any person to commit it
(c) abets any person in committing it
(2) When 2 or more persons form an INTENTION in common to carry out an unlawful purpose and aid each other in doing so and having KNOWLEDGE the consequences of one’s action is a party to an offence
Objective intention
an element of MENS REA is applied whether a reasonable person would have expected the a criminal deed to flow from the defendant actions
Subjective intentions
an element of mens rea where if that person SPECIFICALLY (accused) intended to do it
defences or mitigations of criminal responsibility
when accused tries to show they were not responsible in the crime
name some justifications used for the act of crimes
- acting under duress
- necessity
- self-defence
- provocation
- defence of property
- entrapment
s. 17 of CC
sets out a justification for the commission of crime UNDER DURESS
when does s. 17 of the CC apply to an accused defence argument of acting under duress?
1) the threat must be immediate
2) the person making the threat must be present when the offence is committed
3) the accused must believe the threats WILL happen
4) and the person threatened must not be part of a criminal conspiracy
Defence of necessity
In an emergency when all other choices are gone and the only way out is to perform a criminal act. CLEAR AND IMMINENT PERIL. always ask: was there a LEGAL alternative? Cousin of duress and self-defence
R. v. Morgentaler - argued that he had to perform abortions to protect the mental and/or physical health of the woman in question.
defence of entrapment
when an accused argues that had it not been for the actions of the popo, the crime would not have been committed
Canadian courts do not permit entrapment as a defence, UNLESS….
when police conduct amounts to an abuse of process where conduct, under s. 24(2) of the Charter that would “bring the administration of justice into disrepute
If the tendency of the conduct to bring our system of justice into disrepute is greater than the value of the evidence obtained, then…
the evidence will be excluded
“air of reality” test
trial judge uses this to see whether a defence should be put to a jury.
Two part test:
(1) Evidence
(2) upon which a properly instructed jury acting reasonably could acquit if it believed the evidence to be true
Under which specific circumstances will the defence of drunkenness be considered?
If an “air of reality” exists
Daviault v. R. (1994)
65 yo woman invited Daviault over for drinks. He got blackout drunk and threw her on the bed and sexually assaulted her. Court held his conviction could not stand and ordered a new trial. Many people were angry about this and federal government enacted s. 33(1) that said self induced intoxication is no longer a defence to a criminal charge.
Defence of drunkenness can, however, serve to reduce a charge of _______ to _________
murder to manslaughter
R. v. Boughard-Lebrun (2011)
most recent case about defence of drunkenness. Appellant Tommy Boughard-Lebrun and his friend Yohann Schmouth got fucked up on ecstasy pill named “poire bleue” and assaulted a guy and when a neighbour intervened, they beat him to the point of a permanent disability, having to live in a hospital for the rest of his life. Held: that appellant was not suffering from a “mental disorder” during assault for the purposes of s. 16 of CC and was convicted.
Pappajohn v. R.
Man has intercourse with real estate woman and she says it was rape and he says that it was “rough play.” His defence of honest mistake was not justified. He was convicted
R. v. Sansregret
Abusive ex breaks into complainants house 2x and both times she has sex with him to calm him down to protect herself from losing her sanity and her life because he would kill her. She filed rape again after second time and he was convicted.
R. v. Ewanchuk
17 yo looking for a job was sexually assaulted during a job interview in employers trailer and even though he obliged to each time she said no, he should have stopped all together but the fact that he acknowledged each time he was saying ok to her decline and passing her a $100 bill to keep quiet is all sign of sexual assault. He was convicted.
R. v. Hutchinson
Complainant consented to sex but told her partner to wear a condom to prevent pregnancy. He poked holes in the condom and she got pregnant. SCC held that this was sexual assault.
R. v. Lavallee
Accused was in an abusive relationship and she was constantly threatened with lethal abuse. To protect herself when he said “if you don’t kill me, I’ll kill you” she shot him in the back of his head and courts held that it was self-defence and she was not charged criminally. Womens rights groups were happy about this because it brought attention to the issues of battered wife syndrome but others said that this should have lightened her sentencing but have her criminally charged still
indictable offence
offences considered VERY serious and carry SUBSTANTIAL penalties
summary offence
less serious than others and carry a max sentence of a fine or no more than $5000 OR 6 months incarceration
hybrid offence
when the crown decides whether to approach the trial as a summary or indictable offence
4 attempts of sentencing
1) General deterrence - deter general public from committing specific crime
2) Specific deterrence - deter that particular offender
3) Community denunciation - educating public so they deter from act (close to general)
4) Rehabilitation - correcting the offender, not punishing
R. v. Horon
Depressed guy gets drunk and drives and hits oncoming traffic resulting in injuries to other driver (they didn’t die) and the judge took into account all the factors on page 326 of book and he was only charged with a 2 year driving suspension, probation, and a 2 year driving prohibition
R. v. Peters
READ IT ON PAGE 331 its bs
Tort
a breach of legal duty, other than under contract, with liability for damages
we define a crime as a ______ wrong, an offence against the ______ interest. We define a tort as a _____ wrong, an offence against the ______ interest of an ______, _____, or _______
public, public. private, private, individual, corporation, or government.
what is the object of the tort system in comparison to the criminal law system
Tort’s object is to COMPENSATE victims of either intentional/negligent acts. NO GUILT in tort, only testing LIABILITY. Criminal law DOES NOT exist to compensate victims but to punish
purposes of criminal law
Designed to respond to infringements against the public interest.
1) deter specific offenders
2) deter general public
3) rehabilitation of offenders
4) express moral condemnation of proscribed behaviour
The two types of tort
1) intentional tort
2) negligence tort
Intentional tort
INTENTIONAL infliction of mental/physical harm to persons/property
negligence tort
the failure of an individual/collectivity to conform to a standard of REASONABLE CARE
plaintiff
a person who brings a case against another in a court of law
Tort liability is premised upon meeting a ____________, wheres criminal convictions demands ___________________
balance of probabilities test, proof of the offence beyond a reasonable doubt
does tort law need both mens rea and actus reus? If not, which one does it use?
actus reus only needed. no req of mens rea - evil intent
in tort law, provinces have made criminal injury compensation boards or tribunals. Why?
because most offenders have no financial resources to pay back the victims, which means that private matter often extract from the wealthy. the provinces made these boards and tribunals to pay victims on behalf of the state.
The two sections of the Criminal Code that defines certain kinds of negligence as criminal
s. 219 and s. 220
Punitive damages
damages that are awarded in tort beyond what is necessary to compensate a victim for losses sustained and for pain/suffering. Purpose of this is to DETER the conduct in question and bringing a PUBLIC law objective to the realm of PRIVATE law
what are the problems with punitive-deterrence and appeasement or denunciation functions of tort law?
1) an emphasis on punitive damages in tort may DUPLICATE the existing imposition of sanctions by the criminal court system. This can make TWO SETS of punishment upon an accused.
2) MAJORITY of tort actions are found to be based on non-criminal NEGLIGENCE, the goals of punishment and denunciation are way more difficult to justify.