There are several disagreements over the meaning of negligence, but it can be said to occur when the defendant has behaved in the way in which a reasonable person would not . There exists numerous crimes for which the mens rea is negligence, although some argue negligence should not be classified as a mens rea, where most of these are minor crimes of a regulatory nature . The concept of negligence is undoubtedly complex due to the fact that it is not certain whether it deserves criminal punishment. Whether culpability lies in choosing to act wrongly when having the capacity to do otherwise, or manifests itself in other forms such as carrying out a serious criminal offence regardless of lack of intention, recklessness or knowledge, continues to provoke debate. The arguments for and against the notion that serious criminal offences …show more content…
It can be argued that negligence should never be enough to warrant a sufficiency of culpability for a serious offence when they did not foresee they might bring about the result of the offence. There are various reasons to support the idea that culpability lies in choosing to act wrongly, therefore negligence should not be enough to be convicted of a serious criminal offence. Firstly, in ‘Philosophical Foundations of Criminal Law’ L. Alexander and K. Kessler took the view that an actor is culpable when he exhibits insufficient concern for others . Character theorists may say that a negligent act could indicate a lack of concern for others. This supports the view that negligence implies culpability but Michael Moore presents a good argument where he suggests that a negligent act does not manifest a careless disposition. It may just be an example of an accident or forgetfulness where it is hard not to take risks that may cause harm to others . Therefore, it can be said that negligence should never be enough due to the fact
A dentist fits several children with braces. The children are regular patients of the dentist. The results for some of the patients turn out to be unacceptable and damaging. There are children who have developed gum infections due to improperly tightened braces. Some mistakenly had their permanent teeth removed, while others have misaligned bites. A local attorney becomes aware of these incidences, looks further into it, and realizes the dentist has not been properly trained and holds no legal license to practice dentistry or orthodontics. The attorney decides to act on behalf of the displeased patients and files a class action lawsuit. The attorney plans to prove the dentist negligent and guilty of dental malpractice by providing proof using the four D’s of negligence. The four D’s of negligence are duty, dereliction, direct cause and damages.
On Thursday, 11/12/2015, at 17:01 hours, I, Deputy Stacy Stark #1815 was dispatched to a domestic disturbance in progress located at 66 Paper Lane, Murphysboro, IL 62966. It was reported that a 15 year old female juvenile was busting out windows on her mother’s vehicle. Deputy Sergeant Ken Lindsey #2406 and Deputy John Huffman #2903 responded as well.
The refinement of this definition has significant legal implications, as it broadens the scope of those who can sue within blameless accidents. Prior to this, such victims would also face being labelled with “fault”. Supporting the findings of Axiak, by establishing non-tortious conduct as separate from “fault”, similar, future cases are more likely to proceed despite the plaintiff’s contributory
Incompetency goes to reliability in all that is essential to make up a reasonably safe person. Rush v. McDonnell, 106 So. 175, 177 (1925). The incompetence of a driver is measured by the driver’s demonstrated ability to properly drive a vehicle. Halford v. Alamo Rent-A-Car, LLC, 921 So. 2d 409, 414 (Ala. 2005). One who is habitually negligent may, on that account, be incompetent. Crotwell v. Cowan, 184 So. 195, 199 (1938). To see if someone is habitually negligent, the court should take into account his youth and other pertinent evidence relating to his character, habits, and activities. Keller v. Kiedinger, 389 So. 2d 129, 137 (Ala. 1980). Driving
As police officers own right to carry out an investigation on the suspect, public arise concerning on negligent investigation. In the Hill v. Hamiton-Wentworth case, Mr. Hill was accused robbery and then was proved innocent. Mr. Hill filled a lawsuit against police officers on the tort of negligent investigation, and the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed Hill’s appeal. Moreover, a majority of the court recognizes there is a tort of negligent investigation in Canada, but Mr. Hill was investigated under code of care and no tort of negligent investigation during his investigation. While the argument of minority believes the tort of negligent investigation should be recognized in Canada, and the police had been negligent, the argument of minority is more compelling than majority.
A series of events unfolded when George, running late for class, parked his car on a steep section on Arbutus drive and failed to remember to set the parking brake. The outcome of not remembering to set the parking brake caused many issues resulting in scrapping a Prius, breaking through fencing, people on the train sustaining injuries, and finally a truck that jack-knifed and caused a 42-car pileup. Could the parties that were injured, from George’s actions, be recovered from under the negligence theory? To understand if George is negligent, it is best to look at the legal issue, the required elements of negligence, the definition and explanation of each element of the case, and finally to draw a conclusion to determine if George is negligent.
One main reason why people should not be held accountable in life-or-death situations is that something unexpected could happen. In the argumentative text, “The Cost Of Survival,” the author describes how people doing regular activities can cause unexpected danger. For instance,
In realation to this case I shall put before you the case of DPP V Newbury and Jones (1970) AC 500 (HL). Lord Salmon stated; ‘ A defendant was guilty of manslaughter if it can be proved that he intentionally did an act which was unlawful and if the act in question was either unlawful or dangerous’. The resulting verdict in this case was finding both of the the defendant’s guilty of manslaughter even though in their defence they stated that they did not forsee that their act may cause harm to another, the court held; ‘There is no requirement that the defendant foresees that some harm will come from their
What is Actus Reus & Mens Rea? The fundamental principle of Criminal Law is that a crime is both a physical (Actus Reus) and mental (Men’s rea) element. The intent of this essay is to discuss these two elements of criminal law and provide an explanation of how an Actus Reus (AR) and Men’s rea (MR) is formed; what constitutes an AR and MR; and provide cases where AR and MR are used. Actus Reus, is “As an element of criminal responsibility, the wrongful act or omission that comprises the physical components of a crime. Criminal statutes generally require proof of both Actus Reus and Men’s rea on the part of a defendant to establish criminal liability.”
1 Introduction On Tuesday 25 October, 2015, it was reported that a Sherriff’s Deputy (hereon known as ‘Deputy’) shot and killed a 13-year-old boy named Andy Lopez (hereon known as ‘Lopez’). To hold the Deputy criminally liable for this crime, the state would need to prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that he committed an unlawful and voluntary act, while simultaneously possessing the necessary criminal capacity and fault (also known as mens rea). The following essay shall assess the Deputy’s criminal liability and consider whether the Deputy has any defence, focusing particularly on the elements of the crime called unlawfulness and fault and expanding into negligence and intent.
In this essay, I will describe the elements of a criminal act, address the law of factual impossibility, the law of legal impossibility, and distinguish whether the alleged crime in the scenario is a complete but imperfect attempt or an incomplete attempt. I will address the ethical or moralistic concerns associated with allowing a criminal defendant to avoid criminal responsibility by successfully asserting a legal defense such as impossibility. The court was clearly wrong to dismiss the charge against Jack of attempted murder of Bert.
The subjective definition of recklessness is where the defendant takes an unjustified risk and was actually aware of the consequence, has been seen here to be the best approach when understanding reckless behaviour. Although within criminal law, the term recklessness has a second definition which is known to be objective recklessness. The objective definition argues that a person is reckless when the defendants take an unjustified risk and was actually aware or should have been aware. This essay establishes that the subjective definition of recklessness takes into account the individuals characteristics, the mental state of a defendant but also help to understand certain cases like rape. It has also been established here that elements of the objective definition is an extension from the subjective definition of recklessness, which therefore allows the subjective side holds greater weight and in terms of looking at if the reasonable man may have be incapable of foreseeing a consequence. Thus, it has been argued here that the subjective definition of recklessness in criminal law must be maintained.
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.
Mens rea known as the “mental element” of an offence has long been regarded as a crucial factor in criminal law, aiming to ensure that only those who are blameworthy are punished for crimes thus inputting the role of fairness into the criminal law system. H.L.A Hart agreed with this fairness rationale arguing that it would be wrong to convict and punish anyone who had not been given ‘a fair opportunity’ to exercise the capacity for ‘doing what the law requires and abstaining from what it forbids.’ “The general rule is that no crime can be committed unless there is mens rea.” But this is departed from when creating strict liability offences.
Criminal responsibility is the moral practice of holding an individual accountable for there crimes. This responsibility allows people who are found guilty of crimes to endure punishment or rehabilitation, which can vary in different countries and legal systems. This not only punishes and discourages crime but also allow people to see the tools of state power and the symbolic power that it has to show the community the consequences for the individual, at least when looking at serious criminal offences. This demand on individual responsibility also hold person to account for the conduct, and often society want a response that condemns remorse or regret for their actions and to reflect on their tort (Tadros, 2010). Although individual responsibility holds persons reasonable for crimes, there are certain circumstances which persons are exempt. For example, children under a certain age to not have the mental capacity of being responsible agents which refereed back to as the Latin term ‘doli incpax’, incapable of forming intent to commit a tort. In Queensland, the federal law surrounding criminal liability states that persons under the age of 14 are doli incapax (Australian Parliament, nd) This exemption can also be perceived with persons who have mental illness. These exemption are reasonable due to that some people are incapable of controlling or understanding their mental and physical actions, therefore providing reasonable outcomes for those don’t have mental guilt or physical capability to commit a crime (Australian law reform commission, 2015). This acknowledgment to those who don’t understand criminal wrongs in relation to Mens rea and Actus reas, caters to the society diversity and overall doesn’t make a person liable for a criminal act that they didn’t have the capacity to undertake.