StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Homicide and Criminal Justice - Term Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
This term paper "Homicide and Criminal Justice" gives a detailed information about the American criminal justice system in which homicide is allegedly the worst form of offensive acts that courts handle. Although most people confuse it with murder, homicide is a broader term…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.3% of users find it useful
Homicide and Criminal Justice
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Homicide and Criminal Justice"

 Homicide and Criminal Justice In the American criminal justice system, homicide is allegedly the worst form of offensive acts that courts handle (Gilbert, 2004). Although most people confuse it with murder, homicide is a broader term that includes criminal and non-criminal killing of human beings (Gilbert, 2004). This paper discusses homicide in relation to the US criminal justice system. The paper analyses different forms of homicide and the circumstances under which a suspect can be declared guilty for death of another person.

There are two forms of homicide that do not amount to criminal acts – excusable and justifiable homicides (Fox & Jack, 2001). As noted by Fox and Jack (2001), homicide is considered excusable if death results from a mistake that cannot be described as sufficient to declare someone guilty. An example of excusable homicide is a road accident that leads to death but does not result from driver’s serious negligence. Justifiable homicide is acceptable killing of a person (Fox & Jack, 2001). For example, a person can kill another person in self-defence or soldiers can shoot and kill members of enemy camps without committing criminal offences.

Acceptable killing is also called non-felonious homicide (Fox & Jack, 2001). On the other hand, felonious homicides – also known as criminal homicides - comprise of two broad forms of illegal killing (Fox & Jack, 2001). In this regard, as pointed out by Fox and Jack, felonious homicide that is not premeditated is called manslaughter in most US states. The worst form of homicide called murder is a criminal act in which a person’s meditation to kill leads to actual killing of another person (Fox & Jack, 2001).

In some states, criminal homicide is classified in terms of degrees depending on circumstances under which killing takes place. A person can bear murder related responsibilities in two ways (Arafa, 2008). First, an individual can only bear criminal liability for murder if he or she intended to kill and actually killed another person. However, according to Arafa (2008), sometimes people can bear criminal responsibilities for crimes they did not commit. In this regard, a person who assists or encourages commission of murder bears accomplice responsibility.

A person can only be an accomplice in murder case if he or she wanted the killed person to die and would bear responsibility for any other crime committed as a result of commission of the original crime (Arafa, 2008).In criminal justice, there are three elements used to decide whether a person is criminally responsible for murder or not. The first element – mens rea – provides that a suspect can only be guilty for murder if he or she intended to kill (Yeo, 2002). This element exonerates people who unwillingly cause death to others.

Actus reus is another element which provides that people can only bear criminal liability for offences they actually committed (Yeo, 2002). This element exonerates an individual who wishes to kill another person but does not do it. A combination of these two elements leads to a third element called concurrence which provides that a person can only be criminally responsible for murder if his or her intention to kill leads to actual killing of a person (Yeo, 2002). In conclusion, homicide is a serious case that requires proper assessment to deliver justice to victims without compromising the rights of accused persons.

Right crime elements should be applied during determination to ensure fairness to both sides of case proceedings. ReferencesArafa. M. A. (2008). Criminal complicity - accomplice criminal liability to the criminal offences 'a comparative analysis between the Egyptian criminal law system and the criminal law system of the United States of America’. Alexandria: Alexandria University.Fox, J. F. & Jack L. (2001). The will to kill. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.Gilbert, J. N. (2004). Criminal investigation.

New York: Prentice Hall, 2004.Yeo, S. (2002). Causation, fault and the concurrence Principle. Otago Law Review. 10(2): 214-224.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Homicide and Criminal Justice Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Homicide and Criminal Justice Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/law/1805155-murderhomicide
(Homicide and Criminal Justice Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
Homicide and Criminal Justice Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/law/1805155-murderhomicide.
“Homicide and Criminal Justice Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/law/1805155-murderhomicide.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Homicide and Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice Masters Program Comprehensive Exam

criminal justice Masters Program Comprehensive Exam Question 5: In United States v.... A criminal act, such as a homicide, is justified when it is resorted to in order to prevent a greater, imminent, and immediate harm, when there are no other equally effective alternatives possible.... The court quoted: “all homicide is malicious, and of course, amounts to murder, unless… justified by the command or permission of the law; excused on the account of accident or self-preservation; or alleviated into manslaughter, by being the involuntary consequence of some act not strictly lawful or (if voluntary) occasioned by some sudden and sufficiently violent provocation” (Blackstone, 1854, p....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Defence of Loss of Control

Defence of Loss of Control The law relating to voluntary manslaughter has been modified to some extent by the enactment of the Coroners and justice Act 2009.... These have been described in the Coroners and justice Act 2009.... However, the applicable statute, namely the Coroners and justice Act 2009 had not included sexual infidelity as a qualifying trigger.... This was achieved, via the provisions of the Coroners and justice Act 2009....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Criminal Justice Research Methods

Now we turn to UCR, it provides no information other than homicide and thus it is the opposite of NCVS it does not apply to the nation instead it applies to crime reported to the police.... Snyder used it to support juvenile justice research and Decision-making....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Dual Court System

The Court's fundamental justice and appropriate process guidelines, enunciated to give state courts with the flexibility to extend satisfactory protections of the accused, were regarded as indistinct and subjective.... “Love” --Theory and Practice in Court-- Name: Institution: Abstract The dual court system is a two tier judiciary system comprising of the State and Federal court structures....
6 Pages (1500 words) Assignment

The Three Strikes Law in the USA

Restorative justice better than 3-strikes law.... The Three Strikes Law refers to regulations passed by state governments in the United States that require the state courts to inflict a life sentence to people who have been found guilty of three or more stern criminal cases.... These crimes, hence, limit the capacity of these criminals to Summary Summary The Three Strikes Law refers to regulations passed by governments in the United s that require the courts to inflict a life sentence to people who have been found guilty of three or more stern criminal cases....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

The National Criminal Justice Reference Service

The National criminal justice Reference Service (NCJRS) website: https://www.... ov/ is a highly informative and beneficial source of authoritative information especially to someone in criminal justice and studying Crisis Intervention and human behavior, in general.... ov, in federal justice websites, and results in Q&A, related links, and justice events (NCJRS, Gangs in Society al Affiliation Gangs in Society The National criminal justice Reference Service (NCJRS) website: https www....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us