The Formulation of Voluntary Intoxication in Continental Law

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (13-14) ◽  
pp. 1398-1421
Author(s):  
Ayşe Özge Atalay
Keyword(s):  
Legal System ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Legal Concept ◽  
Actus Reus ◽  
Diminished Responsibility

The principle of contemporaneity, which means the actus reus and mens rea must coincide, constitutes the backbone of criminal liability. On the contrary, it is sometimes possible for an offender to commit an offence when she or he does not have the culpability required for the committed offence. The offender can create diminished responsibility through the intake of an intoxicating substance negligently or intentionally, even with the purpose of getting rid of the punishment. To punish such an offender, a legal concept has been developed which is termed as voluntary intoxication in the Anglo-Saxon legal system, while it has been called actiones liberae in causa in the Continental Europe. In this review, actiones liberae in causa, the formulation of voluntary intoxication in the Continental European legal system, will be explained in detail and some suggestions will be made for the application of these two concepts.

Wage Theft as a Legal Concept

2020 ◽  
pp. 134-150
Author(s):  
Sarah Green
Keyword(s):  
Minimum Wage ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
Legal Concept ◽  
Social Concept ◽  
Wage Theft ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Actus Reus ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Public Concerns

This chapter analyses the fraud offence from the perspective of ‘wage theft’. The social concept of a ‘wage theft’ encompasses a wide range of dishonest or ‘sharp’ practices: false labelling of individuals as ‘self-employed’ and hence outside the scope of the National Minimum Wage framework, failure to pay holiday pay, unlawful deductions, and an absence of transparency in relation to wage entitlements. It is linked to wider public concerns about the effective enforcement of the statutory minimum wage regime. The chapter then examines whether the social concept of ‘wage theft’ maps onto the legal definition of ‘theft’ in section 1 of the Theft Act 1968. It argues the legal label of theft is ill-suited to the constellation of practices associated with the social label of ‘wage theft’. This is because of the disjunction between the proprietary status of ‘wages’ and the offence elements of theft in English law. In short, unpaid wages will often not count as ‘property belonging to another’ at the time of the dishonest appropriation by the employer, hence there is a difficulty with identifying a complete and coincident mens rea and actus reus.

4. Interaction of actus reus and mens rea

2019 ◽  
pp. 127-145
Author(s):  
John Child ◽  
David Ormerod
Keyword(s):  
Correspondence Principle ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Legal Reform ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
Problem Type ◽  
Actus Reus ◽  
The Law

This chapter focuses on the interaction between actus reus and mens rea in proving criminal liability. It first considers how actus reus and mens rea relate to one another within the structure of an offence before discussing the issues that also emerge when applying offence requirements to a set of facts. As an example, it explains how every element (conduct, circumstance, and result) of an offence includes an actus reus requirement and a corresponding mens rea requirement. It also examines the correspondence principle and the doctrine of transferred malice, along with the coincidence principle. Finally, it outlines potential options for legal reform and a structure for analysing the actus reus and mens rea of an offence when applying the law in problem-type questions. Relevant cases are highlighted throughout the chapter, with brief summaries of the main facts and judgments.

4. Strict liability

2020 ◽  
pp. 41-48
Author(s):  
Jonathan Herring
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Strict Liability ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Actus Reus ◽  
Fault Liability

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the crime of strict liability. A strict liability offence is one which does not require mens rea in respect of at least one element of the actus reus. Strict liability is often referred to as no-fault liability. Strict liability is very rare at common law. Where a statute is silent as to mens rea, the judge must interpret the provision to decide if the offence has mens rea (the starting point) or is one of strict liability. There is a debate about whether the imposition of criminal liability in the absence of proof of fault can be justified.

14. Defences I

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Herring
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Actus Reus

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter examines the defences of age, insanity, automatism, intoxication, and mistake. If D is under the age of ten, he is deemed incapable of criminal liability. Insanity is where D proves he had a disease of mind which caused a defect of reason so that D did not know the nature and quality of his act or that it was wrong. Non-insane automatism is an assertion by D that the prosecution cannot prove the actus reus of the offence because D was not in control of his muscular movements. Intoxication rarely succeeds as a defence. Involuntary intoxication is a defence if D does not form mens rea. Voluntary intoxication is a defence only if D is charged with a specific intent crime and D did not form mens rea. Mistake is a defence provided the mistake prevents D forming mens rea.

Criminal Law Concentrate

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Herring
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Law ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Strict Liability ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
Sexual Offences ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Actus Reus ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Law

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. Criminal Law Concentrate covers fundamental principles of this area of law and helps the reader to succeed in exams. Topics covered include the basis of criminal liability, actus reus, mens rea, and strict liability. The chapters also examine offences such as non-fatal offences, sexual offences, homicide, inchoate offences, theft, and fraud. Defences are also examined in the final two chapters. This edition has been updated to include: recent developments in the law and new cases such as Jogee, Conroy, Golds, Ivey, and Joyce; more detail on sexual offences; more revision tips and tables to improve learning; and an ‘Exam essentials’ feature.

Criminal Law Concentrate

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Herring
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Law ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Strict Liability ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
Sexual Offences ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Actus Reus ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Law

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. Criminal Law Concentrate covers fundamental principles of this area of law and helps the reader to succeed in exams. Topics covered include the basis of criminal liability, actus reus, mens rea, and strict liability. The chapters also examine offences such as non-fatal offences, sexual offences, homicide, inchoate offences, theft, and fraud. Defences are also examined in the final two chapters. This edition has been updated to include: recent developments in the law and new cases such as Jogee, Conroy, Golds, Ivey, and Joyce; more detail on sexual offences; more revision tips and tables to improve learning; and an ‘Exam essentials’ feature.

3. Mens rea

2019 ◽  
pp. 82-126
Author(s):  
John Child ◽  
David Ormerod
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
Problem Type ◽  
Actus Reus ◽  
The Law ◽  
Type Question ◽  
Legal Meaning

This chapter provides an overview of mens rea, loosely translated as ‘guilty mind’. Whereas the actus reus of an offence focuses on the accused’s conduct, the results of that conduct, and the circumstances in which it takes place (external elements), mens rea focuses on what is going on in the accused’s mind (internal elements). The chapter first considers the elements of criminal liability under mens rea versus actus reus before discussing the legal meaning of central mens rea terms such as ‘intention’, ‘negligence’, ‘dishonesty’, and ‘recklessness’ and how these terms work in the context of a whole offence. It also describes certain offences that require actus reus elements with no corresponding mens rea and vice versa. Finally, it outlines a structure for analysing the mens rea of an offence when applying the law in a problem-type question. Relevant cases are highlighted throughout the chapter.

2. The elements of a crime

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Ormerod ◽  
Karl Laird
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
Actus Reus

This chapter focuses on the meaning of actus reus and mens rea. It explains the constituents of an actus reus; the requirement of an act; the coincidence of actus reus and mens rea; and criminal liability without an act.

6. Manslaughter

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Child ◽  
David Ormerod
Keyword(s):  
Common Law ◽  
Legal Reform ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
Loss Of Self ◽  
Actus Reus ◽  
Corporate Manslaughter ◽  
Unlawful Conduct ◽  
Partial Defences ◽  
Diminished Responsibility

This chapter focuses on manslaughter, a common law homicide offence with an actus reus of unlawful conduct causing death. The spectrum of conduct and mens rea attracting liability for manslaughter covers all unlawful killings that fall short of murder. The chapter considers two categories of manslaughter: voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. Voluntary manslaughter arises where D commits murder, but meets the criteria for one of the partial defences: loss of self-control, diminished responsibility, or suicide pact. Involuntary manslaughter arises where D does not commit murder, but commits a relevant manslaughter offence: unlawful act manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, or reckless manslaughter. The chapter explains statutory offences of unlawful killing (corporate manslaughter, driving causing death, infanticide, killing of a foetus) and concludes by outlining options for legal reform concerning voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, and the structure of manslaughter offences. Relevant cases are highlighted with a summary of the main facts and judgment.

4. Interaction of actus reus and mens rea

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Child ◽  
David Ormerod
Keyword(s):  
Correspondence Principle ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
Legal Reform ◽  
Mens Rea ◽  
Problem Type ◽  
Actus Reus ◽  
The Law

This chapter focuses on the interaction between actus reus and mens rea in proving criminal liability. It first considers how actus reus and mens rea relate to one another within the structure of an offence before discussing the issues that also emerge when applying offence requirements to a set of facts. As an example, it explains how every element (conduct, circumstance, and result) of an offence includes an actus reus requirement and a corresponding mens rea requirement. It also examines the correspondence principle and the doctrine of transferred malice, along with the coincidence principle. Finally, it outlines potential options for legal reform and a structure for analysing the actus reus and mens rea of an offence when applying the law in problem-type questions. Relevant cases are highlighted throughout the chapter, with brief summaries of the main facts and judgments.

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