SSCI1000U Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Actus Reus, Precedent, Mens Rea

• School: UOIT
• Department: Criminology-and-Justice
• Course: SSCI1000U
• Professor: Dr.Jordan Harel

Document Summary

Cri(cid:373)i(cid:374)al la(cid:449): three mai(cid:374) categories: su(cid:271)sta(cid:374)ti(cid:448)e cri(cid:373)i(cid:374)al la(cid:449) Laws that forbid certain types of conduct. Informs us: what we can and cannot do, potential consequences for wrongdoing. Basic agreed upon societal values: (what we as a society think is) right and wrong, condemned, not tolerated. Also provides: legitimacy for institutions (police, courts, corrections) Parliament- passing of new laws: procedural criminal law. (cid:862) ho(cid:449) the (cid:396)ights a(cid:374)d duties of i(cid:374)di(cid:448)iduals (cid:272)a(cid:374) (cid:271)e e(cid:374)fo(cid:396)(cid:272)ed. (cid:863) (cid:894)goff, (cid:1007)(cid:1013)(cid:895) Examples: rules of evidence, right to council. Also (cid:396)efe(cid:396)(cid:396)ed to as (cid:862)due p(cid:396)o(cid:272)ess(cid:863), (cid:862)p(cid:396)o(cid:272)edu(cid:396)al fai(cid:396)(cid:374)ess(cid:863) Drafting of canadian charter of rights and freedoms: (cid:862)p(cid:396)i(cid:374)(cid:272)iples of fu(cid:374)da(cid:373)e(cid:374)tal justi(cid:272)e(cid:863) Introduction to criminal justice i. e. power to arrest. However, constraints actions as well- procedural safeguards: criminal liability. Question: substantive criminal law legally defines what crime is in our society - true. (cid:862)atte(cid:374)da(cid:374)t (cid:272)i(cid:396)(cid:272)u(cid:373)sta(cid:374)(cid:272)es(cid:863)- casual link between act and harm.