Criminal Law Syllabus - Spring 2008 - Prof. Rich

(This page last modified on 12/21/2007.)

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 2005).

Punishment and Its Rationales, 1-4

Traditional Rationales, 4-33

The Process of Crime and Punishment

Overview of Criminal Procedure, 88-91
Plea Bargaining, 92-100
Procedural Origins of Substantive Issues, 100-01 (#1)
Discretion, 101-07
The Legality Principle, 107-09
- Legislativity, 109-23
- Lenity, 123-27
- Specificity, 127-44 (#2)
- Prospectivity, 144-49
- Publicity, 149-53

The Basic Structure of American Criminal Law

The Model Penal Code, 175-82
The Building Blocks of Criminal Liability, 182-91 (#3)

Objective Offense Elements (Actus Reus)

Introduction: Offense Elements in Context
- Objective Elements vs. Subjective Elements, 198-99
- Types of Offense Elements (Model Penal Code), 199-202
- Offense Elements Distinguished
  - Offense Elements vs. Defense Elements, 202-03
    - Burdens of Proof, 203-06
    - Presumptions, 206-10
  - Offense Elements vs. Sentencing Factors, 210-11 (#4)
Acts, 211-13
- Acts vs. Thoughts, 213-14
- Act vs. Status, 214-22
- Voluntary vs. Involuntary Acts, 222-36 (#5)
Omissions
- Duties, 236-54
- Omissions vs. Commissions, 254-56 (#6)
Possession, 258-60
- Simple vs. Compound Possession, 260-63
- Actual vs. Constructive Possession, 263-72
- "Innocent" Possession and Other Defenses, 272-77

Mental State (Mens Rea), 278

Voluntariness vs. Mental States, 279-82
The Model Penal Code Scheme in Context, 282-88 (#7)
Statutory Interpretation: What Mens Rea is Required (If Any)?, 288-98
Ambiguities in the Model Penal Code's Mens Rea Scheme
- Purpose vs. Knowledge
  - Conscious Object vs. Awareness, 298-301
  - Conditional Purpose, 301-04
  - Purpose vs. Motive, 304-09
- Knowledge vs. Recklessness
  - Certainty vs. Likelihood, 309-16 (#8)
  - Willfulness
    - Willful Ignorance and Conscious Avoidance, 316-21
    - Willfulness and Knowledge of Illegality, 321-23
- Recklessness vs. Negligence, 323-29
- Negligence vs. Strict Liability, 329-42 (#9)
Concurrence, 342-50
Mistake
- Introduction, 350-56
- Mistakes of Governing Law
  - The Traditional Principle, 356-57
  - Limitations on the Traditional Principle: Due Process, 357-59
  - Limitations on the Traditional Principle: Statutory Interpretation, 359-65
  - Limitations on the Traditional Principle: Good Faith Reliance on Official Pronouncements, 365-69
  - Limitations on the Traditional Principle: Cultural Defenses, 369-73 (#10)
- Mistakes of Non-Governing Law
  - Mistakes of Non-Governing Law Treated Like Mistakes of Governing Law, 373-74
  - Mistakes of Non-Governing Law Treated Like Cognate Mistakes of Fact, 374-80
Intoxication, 380-87

Criminal Harm: Causation and Attempt, 388-90

The General Relevance and Definition of Harm, 390-99
Causation
- The Basic Structure of Causation Inquiries: Actual and Proximate Cause, 389-408 (#11)
- Cause-in-Fact, 408-11
- Proximate Cause
  - Victim Action and Traits
    - Subsequent Victim Intervention: Deliberate Victim Self-Destruction, 411-18
    - Subsequent Victim Intervention: Risk-Taking, 418-23
    - Prior Victim Vulnerability, 423-27
  - Third Party Intervention
    - Medical Interveners, 427-35
    - Other Third Party Intervention, 435-41 (#12)
Attempt
- Grading, 441-46
- Act
  - Distinguishing Non-punishable Preparation from Punishable Attempts, 446-47
    - Some Traditional Tests Distinguishing Preparation from Attempt, 447-53
    - "Substantial Steps" and the Model Penal Code Approach, 453-64
  - Renunciation (Abandonment)
    - (Why) Should Abandonment Be a Defense?, 464-68
    - Is Renunciation Voluntary and Complete, 468-71 (#13)
  - Impossibility, 471-86
- Mental State
  - Mental State with Respect to Result and Conduct, 486-94
  - Attendant Circumstances, 494-98 (#14)

Justification and Excuse

Introduction, 499-510
Self-defense
- Introduction, 510-18
- Imminence vs. Immediacy, 518-21
- Proportionality
  - Deadly vs. Non-Deadly Force, 521-22
  - Retreat, 522-25
  - Initial Aggressor, 525-29 (#15)
- Self-Defense and Property Interests
  - Property as the Object of the Criminal Conduct to Be Justified, 529-31
  - Property as the Interest to Be Protected, 531-36
- Reasonableness and Mistake, 536-52
Necessity, 191-94; 552-67 (#16)
Law Enforcement, Public Duty, and Special Responsibility, 567-78
Consent
- Element-Negating Defense vs. Justification vs. Excuse, 578-88 (#17)
- [Not assigned: Constitutional Limitations, 588-97]
Duress, 597-611
Entrapment, 611-23
Mental Disease or Defect (Insanity and Immaturity), 623-644 (#18)

Group Criminal Liability: Complicity and Conspiracy

Complicity
- Introduction, 646-655
- Actus Reus
  - Varieties of Imputation, 655-56
  - Causation and Attempted Complicity, 656-61
  - Reciprocal Conduct, 661-668 (#19)
- Mens Rea
  - Purpose vs. Knowledge to Facilitate or Encourage Proscribed Conduct, 668-71
  - Criminal Facilitation Statutes, 671-80
  - Complicity in Nonintentional Result Crimes?, 680-81
  - "Shared Intent" and Stings, 681-87
Conspiracy
- Introduction, 687-700 (#20)
- Conspiracy vs. Complicity: The Pinkerton Rule, 700-08
- Agreement, 708-19
- Solicitation, 719-24 (#21)

Homicide

Varieties of Homicide, 843-48
Murder
- First Degree vs. Second Degree Murder, 848-56
- Intentional vs. Depraved Indifference Murder, 856-63
- Felony Murder
  - Introduction, 863-64 (#22)
  - Predicate Felonies, 864-78
  - Merger, 878-84
  - Causation and "Agency", 884-95 (#23)
  - Group Liability, 895-901
Manslaughter
- Murder vs. Involuntary Manslaughter, 922-26 (#24)
- Voluntary Manslaughter
  - Introduction, 926-28
  - Historical Categorical Rules and the Open-Ended Model Penal Code System
    - Precipitating Incidents, 928-33
    - "Cooling Off", 933-35
    - Must the Defendant (Intend to) Kill the "Source" of the "Provocation" or "Emotional Disturbance", 935-45 (#25
  - The Sub-Group Question: Would the Precipitating Incident Have Agitated People (Generally) or People More Precisely like the Defendant?, 945-51
- Negligent Homicide, 951-956 (#26)

Larceny, 959-83, (#27)

This page last modified on 12/21/2007.