ADMJ 300 Lecture 20: ADMJ 300 - Lecture 20

• School: American River College
• Department: Administration of Justice
• Course: ADMJ 300
• Professor: Mckinnon

Document Summary

The general rule that ignorance of the law is no excuse . Everyone is presumed to know the law. If mistake of law is used, it concerns an error regarding the legal status of a circumstance or fact. Involve a defendant admitting that while he or she did commit the criminal act in question, the act was justified in the circumstances. These defences are known as complete defences because if they are accepted by the court, they result in acquittal. Provocation is a partial defence in the sense that it applies only t oa charge of murder, and if successful reduces the charge to manslaughter. Entrapment results in a permanent stay of proceedings rather than acquittal. These defences to some extent require a person to have acted reasonably in response to external pressures. Burden of proof is on the prosecution have to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.