Criminal Law Syllabus - Spring 2013 - Prof. Rich

NOTE: The numbers in parentheses or set off by commas refer to pages in the required casebook, Dubber and Kelman, American Criminal Law (Foundation Press 2d ed. 2009).

Punishment and Its Rationales, 1-4

• Traditional Rationales, 4-32

The Process of Crime and Punishment

• Overview of Criminal Procedure, 87-89
• Plea Bargaining, 89-98
• Procedural Origins of Substantive Issues, 98-99 (#1)
• Discretion, 99-105
• The Legality Principle, 105-07
  • Legislativity, 107-21
  • Lenity, 121-25
  • Specificity, 125-42 (#2)
  • Prospectivity, 142-48
  • Publicity, 148-52

The Basic Structure of American Criminal Law

• The Model Penal Code, 174-81
• The Building Blocks of Criminal Liability, 181-92 (#3)

Objective Offense Elements (Actus Reus)

• Introduction: Offense Elements in Context
  • Objective Elements vs. Subjective Elements, 199-200
  • Types of Offense Elements (Model Penal Code), 200-03
  • Offense Elements Distinguished
    • Offense Elements vs. Defense Elements, 203-03
      • Burdens of Proof, 204-07
      • Presumptions, 207-11
    • Offense Elements vs. Sentencing Factors, 211-12 (#4)
• Acts, 212-14
  • Acts vs. Thoughts, 214-15
  • Act vs. Status, 215-21
  • Voluntary vs. Involuntary Acts, 221-33 (#5)
• Omissions
  • Duties, 233-50
  • Omissions vs. Commissions, 250-52 (#6)
• Possession, 252-56
  • Simple vs. Compound Possession, 256-59
  • Actual vs. Constructive Possession, 259-69
  • "Innocent" Possession and Other Defenses, 269-73

Mental State (Mens Rea), 274-75

• Voluntariness vs. Mental States, 275-78
• The Model Penal Code Scheme in Context, 278-85 (#7)
• Statutory Interpretation: What Mens Rea is Required (If Any)?, 285-92
• Ambiguities in the Model Penal Code's Mens Rea Scheme
  • Purpose vs. Knowledge
    • Conscious Object vs. Awareness, 292-95
    • Conditional Purpose, 295-98
    • Purpose vs. Motive, 298-304
  • Knowledge vs. Recklessness
    • Certainty vs. Likelihood, 304-09 (#8)
    • Willfulness, 309-10
      • Willful Ignorance and Conscious Avoidance, 310-16
      • Willfulness and Knowledge of Illegality, 317-19
  • Recklessness vs. Negligence, 319-25
  • Negligence vs. Strict Liability, 325-39 (#9)
• Concurrence, 339-46
• Mistake
  • Introduction, 346-52
  • Mistakes of Governing Law
    • The Traditional Principle, 352-53
    • Limitations on the Traditional Principle: Due Process, 353-55
    • Limitations on the Traditional Principle: Statutory Interpretation, 355-67
    • Limitations on the Traditional Principle: Good Faith Reliance on Official Pronouncements, 367-70
  • Mistakes of Non-Governing Law
    • Mistakes of Non-Governing Law Treated Like Mistakes of Governing Law, 374-75
    • Mistakes of Non-Governing Law Treated Like Cognate Mistakes of Fact, 374-80
• Intoxication, 381-88

Criminal Harm: Causation and Attempt, 389-91

• The General Relevance and Definition of Harm, 391-97
• Causation
  • The Basic Structure of Causation Inquiries: Actual and Proximate Cause, 397-403 (#11)
  • Cause-in-Fact, 403-5
  • Proximate Cause
    • Victim Action and Traits
      • Subsequent Victim Intervention: Deliberate Victim Self-Destruction, 405-08
      • Subsequent Victim Intervention: Risk-Taking, 408-11
      • Prior Victim Vulnerability, 411-14
    • Third Party Intervention
      • Medical Interveners, 414-19
      • Other Third Party Intervention, 419-24 (#12)
• Attempt
  • Grading, 424-28
  • Act
    • Distinguishing Non-punishable Preparation from Punishable Attempts, 428-29
      • The Model Penal Code Approach, 429-34
      • Some Traditional Tests Distinguishing Preparation from Attempt, 434-36
      • Some Problems in Applying the Model Penal Code Test, 437-46
    • Renunciation (Abandonment)
      • (Why) Should Abandonment Be a Defense?, 446-50
      • Is Renunciation Voluntary and Complete, 450-53 (#13)
    • Impossibility, 453-68
  • Mental State, 468-69
    • Mental State with Respect to Result and Conduct, 469-77
    • Attendant Circumstances, 477-81 (#14)

Justification and Excuse

• Introduction, 482-91
• Self-defense
  • Introduction, 491-98
  • Imminence vs. Immediacy, 498-501
  • Proportionality
    • Deadly vs. Non-Deadly Force, 501-02
    • Retreat, 503-05
    • Initial Aggressor, 505-09 (#15)
  • Self-Defense and Property Interests
    • Property as the Object of the Criminal Conduct to Be Justified, 509-11
    • Property as the Interest to Be Protected, 511-16
  • Reasonableness and Mistake, 516-28
• Necessity, 192-98; 532-37 (#16)
• Law Enforcement, Public Duty, and Special Responsibility, MPC sec. 3.07
• Consent
  • Element-Negating Defense vs. Justification vs. Excuse, MPC sec. 2.11; MPC sec. 3.08
• Duress, MPC sec. 2.09
• Entrapment, 586-94
• Mental Disease or Defect (Insanity and Immaturity), 598-606 (#18)

Group Criminal Liability: Complicity and Conspiracy

• Complicity
  • Introduction, 617-27
  • Actus Reus
    • Varieties of Imputation, 627-28
    • Causation and Attempted Complicity, 628-31
    • Reciprocal Conduct, 631-38 (#19)
  • Mens Rea
    • Purpose vs. Knowledge to Facilitate or Encourage Proscribed Conduct, 638-42
    • Criminal Facilitation Statutes, 642-50
    • Complicity in Nonintentional Result Crimes?, 650-51
    • "Shared Intent" and Stings, 651-58
• Conspiracy
  • Introduction, 658-70 (#20)
  • Conspiracy vs. Complicity: The Pinkerton Rule, 670-78
  • Agreement, 678-88
  • Solicitation, 688-92 (#21)

Homicide

• Things to Know about Homicide Law

Theft and Robbery

• Things to Know about Theft and Robbery Law

This page last modified on 12/31/2012.