Learning Plan 3 Assignment: Elements of Crime US Courts CJ 2300 Jasmin Keiber National American University Elements of Crime Laws dictate the common perception of crime, and the elements of crime are preset through the perception of crime. Although, perception alone is clearly not a just way of describing what crime means in the eyes of the public. We follow the supreme rules and state policies of the land and the states, which are all laws that we perceive as just. All other misconduct that goes against what is just should be logically illegal or unjust. But is it accurate to call a violation a crime from the civil laws point of view? The founding fathers established a body of rules that is used to shape …show more content…
Actus reus is an act that is committed or was committed with guilt. The criminal liability is only present if the act was committed voluntary and it resulted in criminal harm. Mens rea means in latin “the guilty mind”, it further describes the intent level of the criminal nature within the act. The act alone is not criminal if the metal state has not been evaluated and proven to be stable and sound (Neubauer & Fradella, 2015). In addition, the next element of crime is the relation between the criminal intent and the guilty act that was committed. This describes the union between the two parts of this element, it is the combination of actus reus and mens rea. One may take something that is not rightfully theirs and forget to return it or pay for it when they are getting distracted. Not showing the intent to steal something and doing the act anyway is not a criminal intent. Criminal law sets the requirement to have actus reus and mens rea present in a case (Neubauer & Fradella, …show more content…
The result of the guilty act provides the prosecution with additional information that is used to charge the offender with the crime. If a traffic accident caused by the offender resulted in the death of the other party that was involved, he may also face charges for vehicle manslaughter. However, the actus reus and the mens rea will play a role in this case as well. The offender can only be held responsible for the above charges if he intentionally put other people at risk while operating a motorized vehicle. The prosecution must provide prove that could be an alcohol or drug test to prove the driver was intoxicated or any kind of traffic violation that led to the accident. Thus, the result of the act is harmful (Neubauer & Fradella,
Causation is the cause of death, and in criminal law it is the connecting of conduct and physiological behaviour with a resulting effect, typically a serious injury or death. The analysis of the actus rea and mens read of the accused will assist the investigators in pinpointing the causation of the murder. In criminal law it is absolutely necessary to prove causation in order to convict an individual for first degree murder.
Actus Reus: It was never unclear if the accused was responsible for the act occurring. There were several eye witness testimonies placing her as the offender which was backed up by CCTV footage from a camera in the lane. Furthermore, at the beginning of the trial the offender pleaded not guilty of murder but guilty of constructive manslaughter and that it was caused by reckless driving on her behalf. By claiming manslaughter the offender immediately takes full responsibility for the act regardless of what charge they are handed.
In order to be convicted on a criminal charge, proof is required of three things; actus reus, mens rea and causation. The accused must have the criminal state of mind relevant to the crime he is accused of. Intention is a far more blameworthy aspect than recklessness,
When it comes to the elements of attempt there are two. It is the purpose or intent to commit a specific crime and an act(s) in order to carry out the intent. There are two types of attempt statures and they are general attempt statute and specific attempt statute. General attempt statute is a single statute that involves the attempt to commit any crime in the state’s criminal code. An example of this is just any crime. Specific attempt statute is defining attempts as specific crimes. An example of this is attempted murder. Prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal attempt cases and these are attempt mens rea and actus rea. Attempt mens rea is the specific attempt to commit a crime and actus reus is taking steps to complete a crime.
The “mens rea” of first degree murder is that the person, with time and intent, planned out or premeditated the murder. The “actus reas” of first degree murder is the actual act of committing the murder after planning it (Lippman, 2006).
The term ‘Actus Reus’ is Latin, and translates to ‘the guilty act’ , it refers to the thing that the offender did that wa...
Actus Reus – it is a guilty act i.e. it is an arrangement between two parties involving criminal property;
There are seven elements of crime that define if an act is a crime. However, the definition does not detail if all seven elements must be present to consider an act a crime. In the criminal justice arena someone's actions are considered a crime if more than one element is displayed. The seven elements are listed as harm, legality, actus reus, mens rea, causation, concurrence, and punishment. When considering illegal drug use, prostitution, and gambling in relation to these seven element the following is learned.
Crime is some action/omission that causes harm in a situation that the person/group responsible ‘ought’ to be held accountable and punished irrespective of what the law book of state say.
Mens rea refers to the mental element involved in committing a crime and is concerned with the guilty mind of the defendant. Both intent and recklessness are categories of mens rea that are different and have different levels of culpability. Intention in criminal law is when an individual consciously decides to behave in a particular manner to achieve a certain desired result and in doing so commits a crime. It is the highest form of mens rea as someone who intentionally sets out to commit a criminal offence is typically more culpable then an individual who has behaved in a reckless manner, which has consequently resulted in a crime. Intention can be further split into two categories: direct intention and oblique intention.
Actus reus refers to a criminal act that occurs or happens as a result of voluntary bodily movement (Dressler, 2015). In other words, it is a physical activity that harms an individual, or damage properties. Every physical activity such as murder to the destruction of public properties qualifies to be an actus reus. It consists of all the elements of a crime other than the state of mind of the offender. Apparently, it may consist of conduct, the state of affairs, result, or an omission.
To be criminally liable of any crime in the UK, a jury has to prove beyond reasonable doubt, that the defendant committed the Actus Reus and the Mens Rea. The Actus Reus is the physical element of the crime; it is Latin for ‘guilty act’. The defendant’s act must be voluntary, for criminal liability to be proven. The Mens Rea is Latin for guilty mind; it is the most difficult to prove of the two. To be pronounced guilty of a crime, the Mens Rea requires that the defendant planned, his or her actions before enacting them. There are two types of Mens Rea; direct intention and oblique intention. Direct intention ‘corresponds with everyday definition of intention, and applies where the accused actually wants the result that occurs, and sets out to achieve it’ (Elliot & Quinn, 2010: 59). Oblique intention is when the ‘accused did not desire a particular result but in acting he or she did realise that it might occur’ (Elliot & Quinn, 2010: 60). I will illustrate, by using relevant case law, the difference between direct intention and oblique intention.
The world will always be full of crime, thus it is necessary for scientist to grow along with the gruesome and increasing amount of violations. Due to this it sparked scientist to develop crime theories in which emerged to explain why crime is caused by individuals. Some of the few theories that have advanced over the past century and provided many answers to why crimes are committed are biological theories, psychological theories and learning theories. These theories provide an insight to its first use and change in order to provide answers.
A crime consists of an actus reus and a mens rea, in order to obtain a conviction of a criminal charge there must be a concurrence between the actus reus and mens rea. The elements of a criminal act (actus reus) are: act, cause, social harm or omission condemned under a criminal statute (Lippman, 2012). The elements of mens rea: purposely, knowingly, recklessly, and negligently (Lippman, 2012). Attempted murder is the failed attempt to kill another human being deliberately, intentionally or recklessly (USLegal, 2014). “Georgia Code Title 16, Section 16-4-1: A person commits the offense of criminal attempt when, with intent to commit a specific crime, he performs any act which constitutes a substantial step toward the commission of that crime. Section 16-4-2: A person may be convicted of the offense of criminal attempt if the crime attempted was actually committed in pursuance of the attempt but may not be convicted of both the criminal attempt and the completed crime….” (Young, 2014, para. 1-2).
A defence in criminal law arises when conditions exist to negate specific elements of the crime: the actus reus when actions are involuntary, the mens rea when the defendant is unaware of the significance of their conduct, or both. These defences will mitigate or eliminate liability from a criminal offence. Insanity, automatism and diminished responsibility are examples of said defences. They each share characteristics but can be distinguished in their scope and application.