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The Nature of a Criminal Act

15 January, 2016 - 09:31

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  1. Understand how it is possible to commit a criminal act without actually doing anything that you think might be criminal.
  2. Analyze and explain the importance of intention in criminal law and criminal prosecutions.
  3. Explain how a corporation can be guilty of a crime, even though it is a corporation’s agents that commit the crime.

To be guilty of a crime, you must have acted. Mental desire or intent to do so is insufficient. But what constitutes an act? This question becomes important when someone begins to commit a crime, or does so in association with others, or intends to do one thing but winds up doing something else.