Criminal Law Defenses

I.        Excuses
        A.        Insanity (anti-social behavior is not insanity)
                1.        M'Naghten:        no knowledge of right or wrong OR gravity of act (cognitive test)
                2.        Irresistible Impulse:        impulse which can not be resisted (substantial inability to control self){always used w/ M'Naghten}
                3.        ALIC/MPC:        M'Naghten + Irresistible impulse (as a result of mental disease, lacks substantial capacity){disjunctive defense}
                4.        Durham rule:        but for mental illness (product test)
        B.        Diminished capacity
                1.        Voluntary intoxication
                        a.        negates specific intent crimes, premeditation, malice (specific intent portions)
        C.        Infancy
                1.        <7:                conclusive presumption against criminal capacity
                2.        7-14:        rebutable capacity by showing of malice or wrongfulness of conduct
                3.        >14:                same as adults
        D.        Mistake
                1.        Of law:        mistake or ignorance of law is not an excuse unless the mistake can be traced to a high level of government
                2.        Of fact:        an act is performed under the influence of an honest and reasonable mistake of a fact. conduct excused provided it would have not been illegal or wrongful under the facts as perceived.
        E.        Duress or Coercion
                1.        if under imminent threat from another to inflict death or gbi upon one's self, conduct may be excused (does not excuse rape or criminal homicide). Used for non-homicide offenses. Mitigates murder.
        F.        Consent
                1.        An effective consent by victim eliminates crimes. Typically in rape cases. Excuses acts which do not entail serious injury to victim.
        G.        Entrapment
                1.        One may be excused from a forbidden act, which does not include physical injury, if one did that act at the behest of a law enforcement agent. Most courts use a subjective predisposition test. Ask if an innocent person would have been induced to commit the crime
II.        Justifications
        A.        Public or domestic authority
                1.        State may authorize agents/citizens to engage in an activity (e.g. executions, acts of war, parents, school teachers)
        B.        Self-defense
                1.        deadly force:        force intended to or capable of causing great bodily harm. permitted where real or apparent threat of an imminent deadly attack and that force is reasonably necessary to repel the attack. Imperfect self defense, negates malice (transforms murder to manslaughter) {aggressor forfeits right to self-defense unless victim responds to attack with deadly force}
                2.        non-deadly force:        an innocent person is justified in using any non-deadly force which reasonably seems necessary to prevent a physical attack against herself. Force is not permitted to resist a non-lawful arrest: reasonable force may be used against the police if the police use excessive force
        C.        Defense of others
                1.        reasonable deadly or non-deadly force if privileged to act in own self-defense
        D.        Defense of property
                1.        reasonable amount of non-deadly force to prevent trespass to property unless a dwelling is involved. flat prohibition of use of mechanical devices
        E.        Crime prevention
                1.        non-deadly force is justified to prevent a misdemeanor or felony constituting a breach of the peace. breach of the peace: disturbing peace of community. deadly force is permitted when reasonably necessary to prevent a dangerous felony (BARRM)
        F.        Necessity
                1.        Justified invasion of the personal property of another to prevent damage or harm