Criminal Law
Thesis - 22 pages - Criminal law
What is an actus reus? An actus reus is more than just an act. It includes whatever circumstances and consequences that are required for liability for the offense in question which means that an actus reus is composed by all the elements of an offense other than the mental element. Some crimes,...
Commonwealth v. Berkowitz 641 A.2d 1161 (1994)
Thesis - 3 pages - Criminal law
In the afternoon of April 19th, 1988, Robert Berkowitz was relaxing in his dorm room at East Stroudsburg State University in Pennsylvania. The victim, who will remain nameless, had been preparing for a day with her boyfriend. She drank a martini to pass the time, and walked to him dorm room in...
Current criminal justice
Thesis - 4 pages - Criminal law
The United States has been plagued with the issue of marijuana use for quite some time. The current policy set in place requires the use of many resources to deal with such a minor defiance. As of now, courts are backlogged because of the high number of arrests for minor offenses. Many are...
People v. Kimball 311 N.W. 2d 343 (1981)
Thesis - 2 pages - Criminal law
This trial is about defendant James Kimball, a Sutton Bay, Michigan resident. He was charged with attempted unarmed robbery and sentenced to a 3 to 5 year term he appealed by leave, which was awarded. The case relates to an argument held at a local party store on May 21st, 1979. Kimball met up...
State v. Ulvinen 313 N.W.2d 425 (Minn. 1981)
Thesis - 2 pages - Criminal law
Helen Ulvinen is the defendant in this case. She is the mother of David Hoffman, who killed his wife Carol. On the night of August 10th, to the morning of August 11th, David Hoffman choked his wife to death. There had been issues with Carol and Helen, and David had made references to his mother...
The problem of modern piracy in international relations
Thesis - 2 pages - Criminal law
According to me, another major issue is that the UNCLOS treats only the cases of violence, detention or depredation committed on the high seas (e.g. outside the jurisdiction of any country). However, if people commit the same acts in the waters under the jurisdiction of a country, these actions...
Consent to bodily harm and criminal law
Thesis - 5 pages - Criminal law
In R v Barnes [2005] 1 WLR Lord Woolf CJ considered the decision of the House of Lords in R v Brown [1994] AC 212 and the Court of Appeal in R v Dica [2004] QB 1257 and decided that it is clear that the rule and the exceptions to the rule that a person cannot consent to his being caused actual...
Juvenile justice
Thesis - 3 pages - Criminal law
The juvenile justice system is different from the criminal justice system. Talking to a parent with a child who has broken the law means addressing the parent's concerns, discussing options specific to the case, and giving appropriate legal advice. The juvenile justice system, while bearing...
Drug related offenses
Thesis - 14 pages - Criminal law
In modern societies it is easy to recognize that consuming drugs is an every day reality. It is not only taking heroin or marijuana, but also smoking, taking painkillers, having a coffee, a tea or excessive intake of alcohol on Saturday as a required “Saturday night” obligation. The...
Hair and fiber evidence
Thesis - 4 pages - Criminal law
Most trace evidence found at a crime undergoes forensic analysis for two main purposes: identification and comparison. Often tiny strange particles are found, and testing for identification purposes establishes exactly what the material is. Obviously, this is a vital step in determining if...
Violence against women
Thesis - 5 pages - Criminal law
Despite the fact that women are much more likely to be killed then to kill, women charged with the murder of their violent male partners are further victimized by a legal system that has been constructed, interpreted and implemented to fit men's experience and homicidal responses. Current...
Justice depends on the identification of the individuals with their community
Thesis - 5 pages - Criminal law
Seyla Benhabib in The Claims of Culture reported the case of a young Laotian American woman abducted from her work at Fresno State University and then raped. Her assailant, a Hmong/Laotian immigrant, argued that among his tribe this behaviour is the customary way to choose a bride. He uses...
