Criminal LawA crime is an act that a legislature has defined as socially harmful. To be found criminally responsible, a person must commit a criminal act and also intend to commit the act. Classifications of crime may depend on the seriousness of the act as determined by the duration of punishment or by the type of social harm the statute intends to prevent or deter. The former classification thus categorizes crimes as felonies and misdemeanors while the latter classification categorizes crimes as offenses against the person and offenses against property. To be found guilty of a criminal offense, it is not necessary to commit the intended crime. An attempt to commit the crime is punishable as well. However, a person cannot be convicted of an attempt, to commit a crime unless he could have been convicted of the crime itself had his attempt been successful. It is also a criminal offense to work with others toward the commission of a crime. Thus, when two or more people combine to carry out an unlawful purpose, they may be found guilty of conspiracy. Just as the guilt of one party may be imputed to the participants in a conspiracy, the criminal act of an agent, may be imputed to his principal, if the principal shares the agent's intent. When a corporation is involved, the guilt of individual employees may in some circumstances be imputed to the corporation. Before criminal responsibility can attach, the accused must have intended in some way the criminal consequences of his act. This criminal intent requirement, known as mens rea, is in some instances dispensed with. Many regulatory codes dealing with public health and safety, for example, prescribe that failure to adhere is a criminal violation, irrespective of the violator's intent. There are, however, no precise lines or comprehensive criteria for distinguishing between crimes that require a mental clement and crimes that do not. The criminal law recognizes certain excuses that may limit, or overcome criminal responsibility. In rare instances, mistake of law may serve as an excuse; more common is ignorance or mistake of fact. The defense of entrapment may also be used to escape criminal responsibility. While the police may employ undercover agents or decoys, they are permitted to use such techniques only to detect criminal activity, not to instigate it. Lack of mental capacity can also operate as a defense to criminal prosecution. Thus, infancy, insanity and intoxication may in some cases serve as an excuse for the commission of a crime. A criminal prosecution begins when there is probable cause to believe that the accused committed the crime. The accused is then arrested — either with or without a warrant, depending upon the circumstances — and is brought before the magistrate for a preliminary hearing to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to hold the accused for trial. Subsequent to this hearing, the prosecutor must either file an information stating the charge or ask the grand jury for an indictment, a formal declaration of charges. Thereafter, the defendant is arraigned, brought before a judge to enter his plea. If he pleads not guilty, the case goes to trial; if he pleads guilty, the judge will impose a sentence. The defendant in a criminal case is entitled to certain protections spelled out in the Constitution. These include the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures; the prohibition on government against prosecuting a person twice for the same offense (double jeopardy); the right against self-incrimination; the right to a speedy trial; the right to cross examine; the right to counsel; and the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
|
