MBE Criminal Law Flashcards
Larceny
Trespassory taking of another’s personal property with the intent to permanently deprive.
- Specific Intent crime
- If you changed your mind after completing the crime you’re still guilty
- If intent was to give the property back after taking then no larceny
Did you commit larceny if your intent was to give the property back at the time you took it?
No, because if your intent was to return the property afterwards, then there was no intent to permanently deprive at the time of the taking
Criminal Battery
Unlawful application of force to the person of another
the US can criminalize and prosecute crimes that occur where?
> occur anywhere in the U.S.
Occur on ships and places
are committed abroad by U.S. nationals
States can criminalize and prosecute crimes that occur where?
only crimes that occur with some connection to the state
> crime wholly/partially occurred inside the state
conduct outside the state that involved an attempt to commit a crime inside the state
a conspiracy to commit a crime if an overt act occurred within that state
Actus Reus
the voluntary physical act of committing a crime
*act can be speech
is a failure to act sufficient actus reus
Yes:
> Failure to comply with a statutory duty
> special relationship between D and vic
> D causes the danger and fails to mitigate harm to the vic
4 types of common law mens rea
(1) specific intent
(2) general intent
(3) malice
(4) strict liability
Mens Rea–Common-Law State of Mind:
Specific Intent
D committed the actus rea for the very purpose of causing the result that law criminalizes
Common Law mens rea:
4 types of Specific Intent
FIAT:
First Degree murder
(not all murders)
Inchoate crimes
(conspiracy, attempt, solicitation)
A ABA= Assault w/ battery attempt
Theft offenses
(larceny, embezzlement, forgery, burglary, robbery)
Common Law mens rea:
Malice
MAlice (i AM)
(1) murder
(2) arson
D acts in reckless disregard of high degree of harm
- they realize risk and act anyway
Common Law mens rea:
General intent
an intent to perform an act that is unlawful
ex: manslaughter, battery, kidnapping, rape, and false imprisonment (bark)
Common Law mens rea:
Strict Liability
(1) Statutory/Regulatory offenses
(2) Morals offenses
buzz words for common law mens rea:
(1) “With intent to…”
(2) “Knowingly or recklessly….”
(3) No mens rea language
(1) “With intent to…”
> Specific Intent
(2) “Knowingly or recklessly….”
> General Intent
(3) No mens rea language
> consider strict liability
4 types of MPC Mens Rea
(P FKN R)
(1) Purpose—highest level of culpability
(2) Knowledge
(3) Recklessness
(4) Negligence—lowest level of culpability
MPC Mens Rea:
Purposely
Ds conscious objective is to engage in the conduct or to cause a certain result.
MPC Mens Rea:
Knowingly or Willfully
D is aware that
> their conduct is of the nature required to commit the crime and
> the result is practically certain to occur
MPC Mens Rea:
Recklessly
D acts w conscious disregard
of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of conduct of a law-abiding person.
MPC Mens Rea:
Negligently
D should have been aware
of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of conduct of a reasonable person in the same situation
does transferred intent apply to attempted crimes
no; just completed ones
Merger
> D cant be convicted of lesser-included offenses
(unless two separate victims)
Inchoate:
> CANT be charged for:
- attempt and the completed crime
- solicitation and the completed crime
> CAN be charged for:
- conspiracy and competed crime
guilt of children at common law
under 7
> never liable for a crime
7-13
> presumed incapable of committing crimes
14+
> could be charged as adults
principals
> Ds whose act/omission form the actus reus of the crime
have the required mens rea
there can be multiple principals
Accomplices
have the same degree of responsibility as the principal
(just diff theory of guilt)
> help before/after crime
MUST act with the intent of assisting the principal
what can an accomplice be liable for?
both the planned crime and any other foreseeable crimes that occur from it
Can an accomplice can be criminally liable even if they cannot be a principal or even if the principal cannot be convicted?
yes
*exception: : A person protected by a statute can’t be an accomplice in violating the statute (minor cant be accomplice of underage sex)
what can an accomplice be guilty for if they:
> helped before or during the crime
> helped after the crime
Helped BEFORE/DURING the crime:
> guilty of same crime as principal
Helped AFTER the crime:
> guilty of separate crime
Accessory after the fact
Helped AFTER the crime:
> guilty of separate crime
3 reasons why a D might not have the required mens rea
(1) mistake
(2) insanity
(3) intoxication
Mistakes of Law
> mistakes about what the law forbids/permits
ignorance of the law is NOT an excuse
EXCEPT:
> reliance on high level govt interpretation
> lack of notice
> FIAT CRIMES!! Bc ) Mistake of law that goes to an element of specific intent negates the intent
mistake of fact
Strict liability crime:
> mistake of fact not a defense
General intent:
> mistake of fact a defense if mistake was reasonable
Specific Intent:
> mistake of fact will be a defense whether the mistake was reasonable/unreasonable
Insanity
4 tests:
(1) M’Naghten:
D either didn’t know the nature/quality of the act was wrong bc mental disease
(2) Irresistible Impulse
D cant control himself bc mental disease
(3) Durham Rule:
D wouldn’t have committed the crime but-for his mental disease
(4) MPC:
D didn’t have substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions or to conform his conduct of the law
burden of proof for insanity defense
D has the burden of proving insanity either by a preponderance of the evidence or clear and convincing evidence.
Involuntary Intoxication
valid defense when it negates the mens rea
Occurs when person:
> doesn’t realize they received intoxicating substance
> is coerced into ingesting it
> expected reactions to prescription meds
Voluntary Intoxication
> can be valid defense to specific intent crimes (FIAT) if prevented D from forming the mens rea
> Unless D got intoxicated just to commit the crime
(bc intent was created prior)
is in intoxication a defense to general intent crimes?
no cus u didn’t specifically have to mean to do it
MPC: Voluntary Intoxication
voluntary intoxication is only a defense to crimes that have a material element requiring purpose or knowledge, which the intoxication prevents from forming
Conspiracy
> Common law:
an agreement between 2 or more ppl to commit an unlawful act
Modern law: (fed law+ mpc)
> adds element: performance of an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy
MPC: (unilateral)
> Only D has to agree to commit the unlawful act
> overt act in furtherance!!!
(whether act legal or illegal just had to be done w purpose of furthering)
Liability of co-conspirator
Any crime committed by 1 conspirator will make other conspirators guilty of all those crimes
if they were in furtherance of the conspiracy, meaning it was foreseeable
Chain Conspiracy
Co-conspirators are engaged in an enterprise consisting of many
steps; each participant will be liable for the substantive crimes of his co-conspirators
Spoke-Hub Conspiracy
Involves many people dealing with a central hub
participants are NOT liable for the substantive crimes of their co-conspirators
because each spoke is treated as a separate agreement rather than one larger general
agreement
Withdrawal from a Conspiracy
> Common law:
impossible to withdraw bc crime is committed the second you agree
> Federal and MPC:
- can withdraw BEFORE commission of any overt act by telling all other conspirators or police
- after overt act: can withdraw only by helping to thwart success of conspiracy
*if can’t withdraw on time or wtv, D can still limit liability by informing others of withdrawal or timely advising authorities
attempt
(1) specific intent to to commit a criminal act; and
(2) substantial step toward the crime
> Attempt is a specific intent crime
> you wanna do it, you tried to do it, you’re guilty
can defenses for specific intent crimes be used as defenses to attempt
yes
can you be convicted of attempted murder and murder?
no; but you can be convicted of both conspiracy to commit murder AND murder
solicitation
when someone intentionally invites, requests, or commands another person to commit a crime
(even if they dont agree to do it)
If A solicits B to rob a bank and B agrees, what crimes have been commmited?
A: conspiracy (solicitation merges into conspiracy)
B: conspiracy
does solicitation merges into conspiracy
yes
Under the _______________ approach, a person cannot withdraw from a conspiracy after an agreement has been made.
common law u cant withdraw
fed/mpc you can if you let the conspirator know or police
true or false:
Attempt is a specific intent crime.
true
homicide
the killing of a living human being by another human being
homicide:
2 types of causation
(1) Actual cause:
vic wouldn’t have died but-for Ds actions
(2) Proximate cause:
the unlawful death was a foreseeable consequence of D’s actions.
*independent actions by a 3rd party generally aren’t foreseeable
* consent never a defense to homicide
3 kinds of homicide
(1) first-degree murder
(2) common-law murder
(3) manslaughter
first degree murder
> specific intent crime (FIAT)
deliberate and premeditated murder or felony murder
** The question will TELL YOU if first degree murder. Otherwise assume common law murder
4 types of common law murder
common law murder: unlawful killing of another with malice
(1) intent to kill
(2) intent to inflict serious bodily harm
(3) Depraved Heart
(acted w reckless disregard of human life and someone died)
(4) Felony Murder
(death occurred during commission/attempt of dangerous felony aka BARRK)
in a felony murder is a D guilty if a co-felon is killed by a resister or a police officer
Maj: no
For purposes of common-law murder, which of the 4 is NOT considered malice aforethought?
intent to inflict serious bodily harm
manslaughter
all unlawful killings of another that aren’t first degree murder or common law murder
2 types of manslaughter
(1) Voluntary Manslaughter
> there was adequate provocation and D acted in the heat of passion w no time to cool off
> or under extreme motional disturbance
(2) Involuntary Manslaughter
> criminally negligent killing
> engaged in negligent conduct and someone died
> D doing less serious felony or a misdemeanor
larceny
taking of another’s property without his consent and with the intent to permanently deprive him of it
elements of larceny
property
> tangible property
taking
> any movement no matter how slight
trespassory taking (w/out consent)
> real lack of consent; not by trick
> D bears burden to prove consent
intent perm deprive
> borrowing isn’t larceny
> if u borrow and its destroyed in your car, its not larceny
is larceny a specific or general intent crime
> specific intent crime
(theft crime from T in FIAT)
> meaning as long as D thought he was taking HIS property, however unreasonable, he wont be guilty of larceny