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Components of a Crime: Criminal Acts, Criminal Intent &
Legal CausationCriminal Law & Procedure
Mike Brigner, J.D.
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Resources
• Text, Chapter 3
• R.C. 2901.21 Voluntary vs. Involuntary
• R.C. 2901.22 Criminal intent: State of mind
• Website for Ohio Revised Code: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/laws.cfm
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Classifications of Crimes
• By object of crime
• Crimes against– Life– Habitation– Property– Public order– Public morality
• By seriousness of mental state (mens rea)– Aggravated murder
• purposeful
– Manslaughter• knowingly
– Reckless homicide• reckless
– Negligent homicide• negligent
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Actus Reus = Wrongful or Guilty Act
• Every crime requires an ACT. Why?
• 1. Thoughts are hard to prove
• 2. Thoughts do not cause harm
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Actus Reus = Wrongful or Guilty Act
• And. . .
• 3. Law could be abused: “Thought Police” & “Thought Control”
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Voluntary Act or Not?• “Voluntary” or
“Involuntary” refer to PHYSICAL ACTS:
• Voluntary – R.C. 2901.21(D)(1)
• Involuntary– R.C. 2901.21 (D) (2)– Sleepwalking? – Epileptic seizure?
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Mens Rea = Wrongful State of Mind
• Purposely• Knowingly• Recklessly• Negligently
• R.C. 2901.22 (A), (B), (C), (D)
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Mens Rea = Wrongful State of Mind
• (A) Purposely = Intention to accomplish a specific result
• (B) Knowingly = Knowing conduct almost certainly will cause particular result, but no specific intent to cause that result
• (C) Recklessly = Knowing there is substantial & unjustifiable risk that conduct might cause a particular result, but with no specific intent to cause that result
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Mens Rea = Wrongful State of Mind
• (D) Negligently = Thoughtlessly or carelessly creating significant unjustifiable risk of harm w/o realizing risk or w/o specific intent to create risk. But, a reasonable person would know the act created such a risk
• R.C. 2901.22 (A), (B), (C), (D)
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Mens Rea = Wrongful State of Mind
• Possible defenses as to state of mind:– Insanity: mental defect or illness– Fit of passion/grief: temporary mental
illness– Head injury affecting judgment– Duress: gun to your head– Mistake: hunter thinks man is a deer– Self-defense: acting to save your life– Emergency: acting so save another’s life
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Possession Crimes
• Possession of unlawful objects, including – some weapons– illegal drugs– wiretapping
devices– stolen property
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Possession Crimes
• Can be possession of lawful objects when combined w/intent to commit unlawful act– burglary tools– drug paraphernalia
• Actual Possession means? Under direct physical control
• Constructive Possession = Knowledge of item + control of area
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Strict Liability Crimes• Intent is irrelevant. Wrongful act all
that’s needed.• Why have S.L.? Mens rea too hard to
prove + crimes with many prosecutions• Greater the harm to public, the more
likely the offense will be strict liability• Examples:
– Traffic offenses --Selling liquor to a minor– Boarding aircraft with a weapon --Jaywalking
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Strict Liability Crimes
• PLUS & MINUS
• PLUS: Makes prosecution of dangerous conduct easier
• MINUS: Makes conviction of innocent people easier
• NEXT: We examine some Ohio crimes that illustrate levels of mental state (mens rea)
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Criminal Homicide - R.C. 2903
• Aggravated Murder - .01 - – Purposely and with prior calculation,
cause another’s death, or– Kill child, kill police officer, or kill as a
result of committing most serious felonies
• Murder - .02 - – Purposely cause another’s death, as
result of committing any other felony
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Criminal Homicide - R.C. 2903
• Voluntary Manslaughter - .03 - – Knowingly cause victim’s death, under a
sudden rage/passion brought on by victim’s own serious provocation
• Involuntary manslaughter - .04 – – Cause another’s death as a result of an
underlying felony/misdemeanor
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Criminal Homicide - R.C. 2903
• Reckless homicide - 04.1 - – Recklessly cause another’s death
• Negligent homicide - .05 – – Negligently, by means of a deadly
weapon or dangerous ordnance* cause another’s death
• *Dangerous ordnance defined at RC 2923.11(K)
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Criminal Homicide - R.C. 2903
• Aggravated vehicular homicide - .06(A)(1) & (2) – (1) Under the influence (R.C. 4511.91(A)), or– (2) Recklessly
• Vehicular homicide - .06(A)(3) & (4) – (3) Negligently, or– (4) As result of moving violation
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Harm and Causation
• Most crimes require harm: damage, injury, loss
• More serious the harm, the more serious punishment
• Exception: Inchoate (incomplete) crime such as attempt - no harm element required
• Crimes also require causation: a link between intent, act, and harm
• Always ask: What is the proximate cause?
• Proximate cause is not the same as scientific cause
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The Proximate Cause . . .
• 1. . . .is the act that is most closely & directly responsible for the harm
• 2. The result must be a foreseeable consequence of the act, for that act to be the proximate cause
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Supervening Cause• Another event may
intervene between act and harm, and become the actual cause of the harm
• This is called a Supervening (or Superseding) Cause
• This new & independent act breaks the original causal connection and becomes the new proximate cause
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When does a Supervening Cause become the Proximate Cause?
• In Class Exercise: Read C.,”Supervening Causes” Text pages 60-61
• In Herbert, Shabazz, Weidler, & Cook cases, was the original wrongdoer the proximate cause of the harm, or was the supervening cause the proximate cause?
• How did the court use “foreseeability” to decide each case?
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Components of a Crime: Criminal Acts, Criminal Intent & Legal
CausationConcluded
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