Criminal Justice: CRJU 1068 Criminal Law

The audio discusses the distinction between criminal and civil law, burden of proof, theories of punishment, felonies and misdemeanors, common law and the model penal code, and actus reus and mens rea. Audio created by AudioOutlines.

 The video series talks about the basic elements of criminal law in a six part series.

Leanne the Lawyer (Producer). (2020, April 10). Criminal Law six part series [Video files]. Retrieved May 21, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUXlKiN17nc&list=PLMYY--IEGT92vo-2-eLzZJc4T25Mm0Y1o

Criminal law is a system of laws that determines criminal offenses, apprehension procedures, trial proceedings, and means of punishment for individuals who violate the laws. 

In the Criminal law course students will learn about:

• The history of criminal law
• Criminal liability and the essence of a crime
• Expanding concepts of a crime
• Extending criminal liability: inchoate offenses and parties of crime
• Justifications as defenses
• Excuses and Insanity pleas
• Crimes against person: homicides
• Crimes against person: Assault, sexual offenses, and others
• Property crimes and computer crimes
• Offenses against public order & administration of Justice
• Offenses against Public Morality
• Terrorism and Human Trafficking
• Victims and the law
• Punishments and sentencing

The prosecutor must prove beyond reasonable of a doubt that the accused committed the crime.

A crime must have the following:

Guilty act or actus reus

Criminal intent or mens rea

The act and intent must occur together

Types of Crimes:

Criminal acts or crimes can be divided into five categories which are personal crimes, property crimes, inchoate crimes, statutory crimes, and financial crimes.

Personal Crimes: Crimes that cause physical or mental harm to an individual including death.

• Ex: Violent crimes: homicide, assault and battery, arson, child abuse, domestic abuse, kidnapping, rape, and statutory rape
• Homicide: first-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, or vehicular homicide

Property Crimes: theft or interference of another person's property

•  Ex: burglary, larceny, robbery, auto theft, and shoplifting.

Inchoate Crimes: Crimes that were started but not completed or acts that assist the commission of another crime.

•  Ex: aiding and abetting, attempt, and conspiracy.

Statutory Crimes: Violations of specific state or federal statutes.

• Ex:  Alcohol related crimes, drug crimes, traffic offenses, and financial/white collar crimes.

Financial Crimes: Crimes involving fraud or financial gain

• Ex: fraud and blackmail, embezzlement, money laundering, tax evasion, and cybercrimes.

Defenses and Justifications:

Imperfect Defense: reduces the severity of the offense but the individual is still guilty of a crime

Perfect defense: defense results in an acquittal meaning individual is innocent

Factual defense: based on fact

Legal defense: based on an issue of the law

Justification defense: the defendants conduct should not be criminal because it supports a principle valued by society.

• Ex: Self defense, Necessity, crime prevention, protecting others, defending personal property, reasonable mistake of fact.

Excuse defense: the individual committed the crime with intent but should not be held reliable

• Duress, Involuntary intoxication, ignorance of law, insanity, entrapment, age

Affirmative defense: raises a new issue that must be proven

Denial or failure of proof: create doubt that the criminal issue exist to the point that the prosecution fails to determine burden of proof

Mitigating factors: Focus on the defendants mental state at the time of the crime

• Voluntary intoxication, Diminished capacity, Heat of passion, and Imperfect self-defense

• Introduction to Criminal Law 

  Open Textbook from creative commons

• criminal sentencing and appeals 

  Videos

• Criminal Law

• Criminal Law Glossary:
  This is a handy reference for any CJ student.