Mens and Actus Reus

Kenyacriminallaw:Principlesofcriminalliability
Criminal Liability is what unlocks the logical structure of the Criminal Law. Each element of a
crime that the prosecutor needs to prove (beyond a reasonable doubt) is a principle of criminal
liability. There are some crimes that only involve a subset of all the principles of liability, and
these are called "crimes of criminal conduct". Burglary, for example, is such a crime because all
you need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt is an actus reus concurring with a mens rea. On the
other hand, there are crimes that involve all the principles of liability, and these are called "true
crimes". Homicide, for example, is such a crime because you need to prove actus reus, mens
rea, concurrence, causation, and harm. The requirement that the prosecutor must prove each
element of criminal liability beyond a reasonable doubt is called the "corpus delicti rule".
Liability needs to be distinguished from the following concepts:
culpability (purposely, knowingly, recklessly, negligently) - infers intent
capacity (infancy, intoxication, insanity) - capacity defenses
responsibility (volition, free will, competency) - presumptions
There are five principles of liability in Criminal Law:

Principle of Actus Reus
Principle of Mens Rea
Principle of Concurrence
Principle of Causation
Principle of Resulting Harm
THE PRINCIPLE OF ACTUS REUS: ISSUES

involuntariness -- sleepwalking, hypnotic behavior, etc. are seen as examples of acting
upon forces beyond individual control, and are therefore not normally included in the principle
of actus reus. However, certain "voluntarily induced involuntary acts" such as drowsy driving
might arguably be included if the prior voluntary act created the risk of a future involuntary act.
manifest criminality -- caught red-handed, clear-cut case of actus reus proven beyond a
reasonable doubt
possession -- the law recognizes various degrees of this. Actual possession means
physically on your person. Constructive possession means physically under your control.
Knowing possession means you know what you are possessing. Mere possession means you
don't know what you are possessing. Unwitting possession is when something has been planted
on you. The only punishable types of possession are the ones that are conscious and knowable.
procuring -- obtaining things with the intent of using them for criminal purposes; e.g.,
precursor chemicals for making narcotics, "pimping" for a prostitute, and procuring another to
commit a crime ("accessory before the fact")
status or condition -- sometimes a chronic condition qualifies as action, e.g., drug
addiction, alcoholism, on the assumption that first use is voluntary. Sometimes the condition, e.g.
chronic alcoholism, is treated as a disease which exculpates an individual. Most often, it's the
punishment aspect of criminal law in these kinds of cases that triggers an 8th Amendment issue.
Equal Protection and other constitutional issues may be triggered.
thoughts -- sometimes, not often, the expression of angry thoughts, e.g., "I'll kill you for
that" is taken as expressing the resolution and will to commit a crime, but in general, thoughts
are not part of the principle of actus reus. Daydreaming and fantasy are also not easily included
in the principle of mens rea.
words -- these are considered "verbal acts"; e.g. sexual harassment, solicitation,
terroristic threats, assault, inciting to riot.
THE PRINCIPLE OF MENS REA: ISSUES
circumstantial -- determination of mens rea through indirect evidence
confessions -- clear-cut direct evidence of mens rea beyond a reasonable doubt

constructive intent -- one has the constructive intent to kill if they are driving at high
speeds on an icy road with lots of pedestrians around, e.g.
general intent -- the intent to commit the actus reus of the crime one is charged with;
e.g., rape and intent to penetrate
specific intent -- the intent to do something beyond the actus reus of the crime one is
charged with; e.g., breaking and entering with intent to burglarize
strict liability -- crimes requiring no mens rea; liability without fault; corporate crime,
environmental crime
transferred intent -- the intent to harm one victim but instead harm another
THE PRINCIPLE OF CONCURRENCE: ISSUES
attendant circumstances -- some crimes have additional elements that must accompany
the criminal act and the criminal mind; e.g., rape, but not with your wife
enterprise liability -- in corporate law, this is the idea that both the act and the agency
(mens rea) for it can be imputed to the corporation; e.g., product safety
year-and-a-day rule -- common law rule that the final result of an act must occur no
later than a year and a day after the criminal state of mind. For example, if you struck someone
on the head with intent to kill, but they didn't die until a year and two days later, you could not be
prosecuted for murder. Many states have abolished this rule or extended the time limit. In
California, it's three years.
vicarious liability -- sometimes, under some rules, the guilty party would not be the
person who committed the act but the person who intended the act; e.g., supervisors of
employees
THE PRINCIPLE OF CAUSATION: ISSUES
actual cause -- a necessary but not sufficient condition to prove causation beyond a
reasonable doubt; prosecutor must also prove proximate cause
but for or sine qua non causation -- setting in motion a chain of events that sooner or
later lead to the harmful result; but for the actor's conduct, the result would not have occurred
intervening cause -- unforeseen events that still hold the defendant accountable
legal causation -- a prosecutor's logic of both actual and proximate cause
proximate cause -- the fairness of how far back the prosecutor goes in the chain of
events to hold a particular defendant accountable; literally means the next or closest cause
superceding cause -- unforeseen events that exculpate a defendant

PRINCIPLES OF RESULTING HARM: ISSUES
These are issues involving the law of accessories and attempts (later lecture).
RESPONSIBILITY FOR CRIME: PRESUMPTIONS

Presumptions are court-ordered assumptions that the jury must take as true unless rebutted by
evidence. Their purpose is to simplify and expedite the trial process. The judge, for example at
some point in testimony, may remind the jury that it is OK to assume that all people
form some kind of intent before or during their behavior. It is wrong, however, for the judge to
order the jury to assume intent or a specific kind of intent in a case. Presumptions are not a
substitute for evidence. Presumptions are supposed to be friendly reminders about safe, scientific
assumptions about human nature or human behavior in general. The most common presumptions
are:
reminders that the accused is considered innocent until proven guilty
reminders that the accused is to be considered sane, normal, and competent
It is important to understand that presumptions are not inferences. Presumptions must be
accepted as true by the jury. Inferences may be accepted as true by the jury, but the trick is to get
the jury to believe they thought of it first. Lawyers are not allowed to engage in the practice of
"stacking of inferences", or basing an inference solely upon another inference. Lawyers are also
prohibited by logic from making certain "impermissible inferences" and here's an example of
how the logic goes:
Intent to kill or seriously injure; Purposely or Knowingly using
Intent to kill cannot be inferred; newspaper cannot be construed

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Kenyacriminallaw:Principlesofcriminalliability

capacity (infancy, intoxication, insanity) - capacity defenses

responsibility (volition, free will, competency) - presumptions

There are five principles of liability in Criminal Law:

Principle of Mens Rea

Principle of Resulting Harm

THE PRINCIPLE OF ACTUS REUS: ISSUES

confessions -- clear-cut direct evidence of mens rea beyond a reasonable doubt

superceding cause -- unforeseen events that exculpate a defendant

RESPONSIBILITY FOR CRIME: PRESUMPTIONS

Intent to kill cannot be inferred; newspaper cannot be construed

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