Intro to Law and Public Safety Unit 1

What is common law?

Laws made based on legal precedents set by judges from previous court decisions.

What is government-made law?

Bills made by legislature that are passed & approved by both houses of Congress and then officially signed off by the President and made into laws.

What is a felony?

A serious crime punishable by a year or more in prison and a value of $1,500 or more.

What is a misdemeanor?

Any crime punishable by less than a year in local jail and a value of $1,500 or less.

What are the elements of a crime?

1. A prohibited act: The actual act of the crime.

2. Criminal intent: There must be intention behind the committed crime.

3. Concurrence of the act and the intent: Connects the prohibited act and the criminal intent. The crime must have been committed exactly when the person had the criminal intent to commit it.

4. Causation: The act has to cause the harmful result. In other words, the person intending to commit the crime has to be the direct cause of the outcome/crime.

What are the 4 types of Criminal Intent?

1. Specific Intent: The person intended the result that happened. They committed the crime purposefully.

2. General Intent: The person knew the result would happen or consciously disregarded the extreme likelihood that it would happen.

3. Criminal Negligence: The person commits a crime unintentionally but with extreme carelessness/recklessness.

4. Strict Liability: No mental state required at all. Anyone committing the crime is guilty regardless of if they intended to or not. (ex. running a red light)