User:Ohtani MVP/Criminal law of the United States

New Intro
Criminal law is a system of laws that is connected with crimes and punishments of an individual who commits crimes. In comparison, civil law is where the case argues their issues with one entity to another entity with support of the law. A “crime” is any action in violation of a law prohibiting said action or omission. Crimes can vary in definition by jurisdiction but the basis for a crime are fairly consistent regardless. An individual commits a crime if they act in a way that fulfills every element of an offense. The statute establishing the offense also establishes the elements of the offense. In general, every crime involves three elements: first, the act or conduct (actus reus); second, the individual’s mental state at the time of the act (mens rea); and third, the causation between the act and the effect (typically either proximate causation or but-for causation). Crimes can be generally separated into four categories: felonies, misdemeanors, inchoate offenses, and strict liability offenses. In a criminal prosecution, the government has the burden of proof to establish every element of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt.

Each state decides which conduct to designate a crime. As such, each state has its own criminal code. Congress has chosen to punish certain conduct, codifying federal criminal law in Title 18 of the U.S. Code. Criminal laws vary significantly among the states and the federal government. The U.S. Code is far more extensive than the common law. Nonetheless, Congress has limited power to make criminal laws. As this power is generally reserved to the states, state criminal codes, such as the New York Penal Law, are far more complicated than the U.S. Code. The N.Y. Penal Law prescribes nine levels of felonies, ranging from residential mortgage fraud in the fourth degree to terrorism

Adding citations to Parties to a Crime

Parties to a crime
The parties or participants in a crime include the principal and an accessory.

A principal is a person directly involved in a crime. There are two types of principals:


 * Principal in the first degree: the person who commits the crime.
 * Principal in the second degree (accomplice): someone who aids, counsels, assists, or encourages the first-degree principal.

Presence is required for a party to be considered a principal in the 2nd degree, with constructive presence being sufficient. Both principals are punished equally and are equally liable for the crime the other commits. Mere presence is not sufficient to impose liability; the party must take an affirmative action. A party must also have the requisite intent, where agents must have a criminal state of mind to be convicted.

An accessory is a person who helps commit the crime without being present. Accessories are generally punished less severely than the principal. There are two types of accessories:


 * An accessory before the fact is a person who encourages or helps another commit a crime. Statutes group principals with these accessories and punish them together.
 * An accessory after the fact is a person who learns of a crime and helps to conceal the crime or criminal by providing aid, comfort, or shelter to help the principal avoid arrest or prosecution after the crime. An accessory after the fact must be aware of the criminal’s status and intend to hinder the arrest.

Adding citations to Omission Section

Omission
Failure to do something can occasionally be criminal, this is usually known as omission. For example, not paying one's taxes is criminal. Typically, the criminality of failing to act will be codified.

Certain relationships create a duty to act at common law, such as spouse to spouse, parent to child, or employer to employee, for example. A person may contract to act, such as a babysitter to render aid in the event of the child in their care hurting himself.

A person typically has a duty to act when he is responsible for putting the other in peril in the first place, such as through accidental injury.

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Changes to Kidnapping and False Imprisonment'''

Kidnapping is the abduction or holding of a person against their will (without legal authority) with the intent to use the abduction/holding in connection with some other crime by force, threat, or deception. Parental kidnapping is the kidnapping of a child when a parent does not have the legal rights to the child, violating a court order. Failure to release a person within 24 hours allows the presumption that the person has been transported through interstate commerce allowing a federal investigation.

False imprisonment is the prevention of a person from leaving an area that interferes with a persons individual rights without authority. False imprisonment can be a criminal case or a civil case.

Changes to Robbery (currently under property crimes, will be moved to crimes against persons):

Robbery at common law was the trespassory taking of the property of another with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property by means of force or threat of force.

Robbery charges result in substantial sentences which may be up to ten years with parole. Robbery with a deadly weapon increases this sentence and depends on the present ability of the defendant during the commission of the act. The precise language of this charge must be carefully reasoned to a jury panel by a trial court judge. Robbery is a charge reliant on the notion of possession of property of another and the force or threat of force used to accomplish the transfer of possession. According to the legal standard, a sleeping man cannot be aware that his property is being stolen. Therefore, a thief cannot be charged with robbery based on the force or threat of force prior to the incident requirement. Instead, the individual would likely be charged with a more general larceny crime.

Although robbery involves the theft of property, it is not a property crime. The elements of force or threat of force requires robbery to be a crime against persons. An individual cannot commit robbery on the property. For example, if a person holds another at gunpoint forcing them to hand over their belongings, the element of force or threat of force is fulfilled. However, a person cannot point a gun at a house and demand its contents since the house cannot be forced to hand it over nor be in fear for its safety. Furthermore, the National Institute of Justice deliberately states that crimes classified as property crimes are absent of the elements of force or threat of force.

Sections removed from Robbery definition to be placed elsewhere:

res gestae, or "the thing that happened"

animus firandi, or "evil in the heart"

Statutory Rape
Statutory rape, sometimes called unlawful sexual intercourse, occurs when an individual engages in sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with a person who is not their legal spouse and is under the local jurisdictions age of consent. States also may increase the punishment if the age gap is beyond a certain number of years, or if the minor is under another, younger set age. For example, if the age of consent is 18, the state may punish the crime more severely if the minor is also two years or more apart in age, or if the minor is also younger than 16 years of age. Most states include a phrasing that requires the individual accused of statutory rape to be aware of the minor's age prior to or during the act.

Changes to Public Morality

Adding small section to what is public morality

For most of American history, there has been a mixture of what society deems as moral and what is a crime. For these reasons, certain actions are considered crimes in the United States compared to other nations.

Adding Prostitution

Prostitution is the exchange of sex for money that is a crime in every American jurisdiction where sexual activity is engaged as a business.

Adding Drugs and Controlled Substances

The United States have deemed a set of laws know as the Controlled Substances Act that affect which substances cannot be used, made, sold, or distributed. Drug laws commonly fall into three categories: possession, distribution, and possession of paraphernalia. Drug laws also take into consideration weight, value, and intent. These laws have powered the "drug war" that continues to be effected by the development of more drugs and the cheapness. This is where mandatory sentencing laws have begun to be reexamined as it has begun to tax the American prison system.

Adding Bigamy and Polygamy

Bigamy is the marriage of a married person to another despite being married. Polygamy is the open consensual practice of having multiple husbands/wives. For most of American history, both practices have been outlawed in all American jurisdictions.

Adding Driving Under the Influence/Driving While Intoxicated

Driving under the influence can best be defined as operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level of more than .08%. This is one of the criminal laws that has undergone a exponential evolution as the nation understands the dangerous of alcohol and driving have on our society including the loss of life and property damage. Historically, driving under the influence was seen as nonharmful offense that was typically overseen and not reported with little to no punishment. However, now DUI can carry penalties harsher than some other felonies as public outcry and pressure have affected criminal laws to change to deter drinking and driving.