Mens rea

I am hesitant to venture into a comment on the law per se because I am not a lawyer. However the recent case of the teenagers who were jailed for inciting disorder through Facebook even though nobody turned up for the proposed riot set up a question in my mind as to the effect of intent in the criminal law. To quote from Wikipedia, “ Mens rea is Latin for "guilty mind".[1] In criminal law, it is viewed as one of the necessary elements of a crime. The standard common law test of criminal...Read Full Story

Justice John Scurfield  ruled Thursday that a man accused of beheading and cannibalizing a Greyhound bus passenger is not criminally responsible (”NCR”) due to mental illness. Vince Li’s trial lasted only two days and heard from two expert witnesses, both psychiatrists, who testified he is mentally ill. Both the prosecution and the defence argued that Li cannot be held criminally responsible because he was suffering from schizophrenia and believed God wanted him to kill the victim because...Read Full Story

Grievous bodily harm and wounding are covered in sections 18 and 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Sections 18 and 20 carry different maximum sentences, with section 18 being the considerably more serious of the two. Although there are many common aspects between the two offences, the biggest difference is the Mens Rea which refers to whether or not intention was present. Section 20 Assault Section 20 carries the lowest maximum sentence of the two Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH...Read Full Story

Assault charges can be difficult for the layman to fully understand as many different abusive offences are covered in the Offences against the Person Act 1861. The different factors of each assault charge can bewilder the accused and they may not fully realise exactly what they are being charged with, criminal defence solicitors can also help provide legal advice. Section 47 Assault of the Offences against the Person Act is Actual Bodily Harm (ABH). Actual Bodily Harm (ABH) Section 47...Read Full Story

Two laws that are the same are criminal law and penal law. Punishment under these laws is often harsh. Penalties differ between jurisdictions and offenses. General penalties include: probation, parole, fines, execution or imprisonment. The first society to write their criminal codes was the Sumarians. Criminal and civil laws were not divided at the time. Criminal laws have strict punishments when the laws are not followed. A person can be imprisoned, even at home. The term of imprisonment in...Read Full Story

Criminal law, also called penal law, is the collection of rules related to crime. The laws define what conduct is prohibited by the state. These laws are determined by assessing behavior that harms, threatens or endangers the safety or welfare of the public. Punishment is given to those who breach these established rules. Criminal law is different from civil law in its potential punishments. Every crime must have criminal elements. In serious crimes, capital punishment may be given...Read Full Story

Two laws that are the same are criminal law and penal law. Punishment under these laws is often harsh. Penalties differ between jurisdictions and offenses. General penalties include: probation, parole, fines, execution or imprisonment. The first society to write their criminal codes was the Sumarians. Criminal and civil laws were not divided at the time. Criminal laws have strict punishments when the laws are not followed. A person can be imprisoned, even at home. The term of imprisonment in...Read Full Story

Criminal and penal law refers to the same type of law. Punishments under these laws can be severe and unique depending on the offense and the jurisdiction. Imprisonment, execution, parole, probation and fines are the most common forms of punishment. On occasion, the lines between civil and criminal law become blurred. The first written code of law was produced by the Sumarians. Civil and criminal law were not separated in these early codes. The potential for serious consequences and for...Read Full Story

Punishments In Victorian Times Victorian Era Video Brief of Victorian England. crimes and punishments in the Victorian Darlings. suicide in Victorian times www.victorianweb.org The Victorian Era: text, 1601 punishments   the Victorian session I bad punishment (crimes and since Victorian times as a Lincoln Prison Chapel - In Victorian times, this chapel was set up under the separate "The Victorian era was really punishments in school in the Lincoln Prison Chapel - In Victorian times, this...Read Full Story

Mens rea-A society should not be judged on how it treats its outstanding citizens but by how it treats its criminals….. Fyodor Dostoyevsky-in Crime and Punishment. Mens rea comes from the Latin phrase; Actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea, translated An act does not make a man guilty unless his mind be also guilty. Mens rea roughly translates to guilty mind. An illustration of mens rea would be the difference between hurting someone voluntarily and accidentally; in the first case, the mens...Read Full Story