Personalism-impact on victims and how Restorative justice conference can balance the interest of victims and the public.

Introduction There are many different definitions of crime. One is as in the current justice system, which views crime as an act or omission that the law makes punishable. The other system, which has been increasingly popular in recent years, is restorative justice, which perceives crime as 'an injury of people and relationships' (Zehr, 1990) rather than merely a violation of law and social norms. Due to these conceptual differences, they take different approaches in response to crime. The existing system highlights the retributive and punitive domain; it intends to establish blame on offenders and make offenders repay their debt to society by punishment. The system is more offender-oriented and its focus is the past rather than the future. Besides establishing blames, it tends to give less attention on future-oriented concerns like how to repair the damages caused by the crime and how future recurrences can be prevented. It has been argued that the existing system places excessive emphasis on the past and is less constructive to victim, offenders and the society. From the restorative justice perspective, crime is viewed as social conflicts within the society. Restorative justice system was designed to restore social harmony and repair the damages of social conflicts. It begins with repairing the harm suffered by victims and assisting the reformation of offenders. It

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The Lindbergh kidnapping

Introduction In what was called the crime of the century, the Lindbergh kidnapping was the abduction and murder of the twenty month-old son of world famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh Sr., on March 1, 1932. In addition to fame, the Lindbergh's were known as an affluent family during the Great Depression. While their social status and ability to pay a ransom made them more susceptible to be a kidnapping target, the very young age of their child increased the inherent risky outcome of such an act altogether (Douglas et al., 1992). Lindbergh Jr., was snatched from his nursery by someone climbing up to the second floor nursery window using a ladder that was later found near the house. The kidnapper(s) left behind a ransom note that was followed by twelve more, requesting $70,000 dollars. The New Jersey State Police, assumed charge of the investigation, but Lindbergh Sr. wanted his friends to communicate with the kidnappers. Eventually, a ransom of $50,000 in gold certificates was handed over to the kidnapper by an intermediate, Dr. John Condon. Dr. Condon would later identify the stranger as "sounding foreign" (Fisher 1999). Seventy-three days after he was kidnapped, the body of the Lindbergh child was, by accident, found in Hopewell, New Jersey, four and one half miles southeast from where he was abducted. The body of the child had a

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Analysis of the law relating to the offence of Murder and relevant offences of Provocation, Diminished Responsibility and Intoxication.

This continuous assessment requires a detailed analysis of the law relating to the offence of Murder and relevant offences of Provocation, Diminished Responsibility and Intoxication. The issue of non-fatal offences will also be dealt with. Murder is the killing of a human being by a human being within the Queen's peace, death arising within 3 years of the act by the accused and also caused by the act of the accused. The actus reus of Murder therefore requires that the defendant should have caused the death of the victim through an act of his/her own. Death should be caused within the Queen's peace and three years of the act of the defendant.1 In this question the defendant Mo killed her husband Billy. It was Mo's act of setting fire to Billy's bed, which caused the death of Billy who is the victim in this instance. It is required to be proved that death was caused by the act of the defendant. Murder is a consequence crime and therefore accordingly requires causation to be proved in order for the actus reus of murder to be proved. It is in essence proving that it was the act of the defendant that caused the death of the victim. Causation is a 2-stage test and requires firstly causation in fact. The test for causation in fact is the 'But for test'2. But for the act of the defendant, would the victim still have suffered the consequences and if not then there is causation in

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Criminal Law - A Miscarriage of Justice.

Criminal Law. Assignment 1. Part B. A Miscarriage of Justice. Hemis No:198788. Word count:3,000 As there is no material regarding this case 'in print' as of yet, all sources of information used have been attached as appendices. Sally Clark. o On the 9th November 1999, after a four week trial at Chester Crown Court, Sally Clark was found guilty and convicted of the murder of her two children. o The Criminal Cases Review Commission, the body which investigate miscarriages of justice in England, sent Sally Clark's case to the Court of Appeal. o On the 2nd October 2000 at the Court Of Appeal, the guilty verdict was upheld. They ruled that the case against Sally Clark was 'overwhelming' despite the support of fresh evidence. o The Criminal Cases Review Commission has ordered, that the case should go back to the Appeal Court because of the new medical evidence put forward, contained in a report overlooked at the original trial, which shows that Harry, the second baby to die, suffered from staph aureus at the time of his death, which almost certainly killed him o Sally is now serving the forth year of her life sentence. The case of Sally Clark is a long and difficult one to understand. There are no precedents in this area of law and no books have been published regarding this case, as it has not yet been recognised by the courts. This is a landmark case and Sally Clark

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criminal law assignment

Criminal Law Law 113 Alan Reed Assignment 2 ~ Criminal Problem Gemma Bolt ~ 053047962 Table of Cases * Abdul-Husain and Others [1999] Crim.L.R 570 * Allan [1965] 1 Q.B. 130: [1963] 3 W.L.R. 677 * Bainbridge [1960] 1 Q.B. 129: [1959] 3 W.L.R. 656 * Brown [1985] Crim.L.R 367 * Clarkson [1971] 1 W.L.R. 1402: [1971] 3 ALL E.R. 344 * Cole [1994] Crim.L.R. 582 * Doughty (1986) 83 Cr.App.R. 319: [1986] Crim.L.R. 625 * DPP for Northern Ireland v Lynch [1975] A.C. 653: [1975] 2 W.L.R. 641 * DPP for Northern Ireland v. Maxwell: sub nom. DPP v. Maxwell [1978] 1 W.L.R. 1350 * DPP v. Camplin [1978] A.C. 705: [1978] 2 W.L.R. 67 * Duffy [1949] 1 ALL E.R. 932 * Hudson and Taylor [1971] 2 Q.B. 202: [1971] 2 W.L.R. 1047 * Lomas 1913 * Olugboja [1982] Q.B. 320: [1981] 3 W.L.R. 585 * Ryan (1996) 160 J.P. 610: Crim.L.R. 320 * Smith Morgan [2000] 3 W.L.R. 654: [2000] 4 ALL E.R. 289 * White [1910] 2 K.B. 124 * Woolin [1999] 1 A.C. 82: [1998] 3 W.L.R. 382 Table of Statutes * Criminal Attempts Act 1981 Elizabeth II HMSO * Sexual Offences Act 2003 Elizabeth II HMSO ss 1 & 63 * Theft Act 1968 Elizabeth II HMSO s9(1)a The question at hand is to discover the criminal liability of Alan, Titus, Celestine, Shay and Shola. Firstly Alan is part of a joint enterprise which is where two or more people are committed to carrying out a common offence1. Here the joint enterprise is

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Critically consider all arguments concerning spousal compellability and conclude whether or not it is justifiable.

In 1940, Wigmore described the rule that spouses should not be compellable as: �the merest anachronism, in legal theory, and an indefensible obstruction to truth, in practice.� 1 Whereas Lord Wilberforce stated: �to allow her to give evidence would give rise to discord and perjury and would be, to ordinary people, repugnant.�2 These are two very differing opinions, highlighting the fact that spousal compellability is a highly debatable area of law. Under section 80 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 19843 (PACE), spouses are non-compellable unless the offence is one which is specified.4 This spousal privilege has sparked intense criticism and renders the justification questionable. Utilising academic opinion, case authority and relevant sources, I will critically consider all arguments concerning spousal compellability and conclude whether or not I think it is justifiable. Hoskyn v Metropolitan Police Commissioner5was the first significant step towards the PACE. This case concerned a marriage two days before the trial date, the defendant was convicted and he appealed on the grounds that his wife should not have been a compellable witness. The House of Lords ruled that when her husband is charged with violence against her, she is competent but not compellable. There were dissenting judges and vast criticism because of this decision and this

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Criminal Law - Problem Question - Homicide

Assignment No.2 "Alan, a soldier, was home for the weekend. He possessed several rifles. In a drunken argument with his father, Brian, as to who was the better shot with a gun, Brian threatened to break Alan's nose. Alan was afraid of his father but he was the first to load one of the rifles and, a little wobbly on his feet, took aim at Brian and, in haste, shot and injured him. Feeling shocked, Alan fired a second shot at an expensive vase which shattered. Alan managed to call for an ambulance but the ambulance was delayed by a freak storm. Eventually, Brian arrived at hospital where his injuries were treated. After several days he developed an infection in the wound. He was treated by Doctor Chris with an antibiotic to which Brian was allergic. The next day, seeing that he was no better, Doctor Chris administered more of the same antibiotic to Brian in extremely large doses. That night, weak, delirious and close to death, Brian jumped out of the window when he saw the doctor approaching. He fell two storeys to the ground and was killed. Alan confessed to the police that he had lately been hearing voices and believed that his father Brian was the devil. He had not wanted to kill but had wanted to frighten his father. Doctor Chris confessed to the police that he was diabetic and had not had time to eat properly after taking his insulin. Discuss the liability of

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Under the current law, homeowners are permitted to use "reasonable force" against intruders.[3] However this standard is criticised for being unclear and weighted too much in favour of the intruders.[4] Under the proposed law, homeowners would be convicte

Introduction Following the high profile cases of Tony Martin and Munir Hussian,1 the UK Conservative Party has signaled it will introduce new laws providing householders with a stronger defense against criminal liability where they use force to defend themselves against intruders.2 Under the current law, homeowners are permitted to use "reasonable force" against intruders.3 However this standard is criticised for being unclear and weighted too much in favour of the intruders.4 Under the proposed law, homeowners would be convicted only where they used force that was "grossly disproportionate".5 This essay discusses whether such legislative reform is appropriate by first looking at how the current law operates and its main areas of criticism. It then analyses the proposed law and considers whether it adequately improves on the current law. The current law As a general rule in common law, householders are entitled to use "reasonable force" to protect themselves, others or their property.6 This rule provides householders with a justifiable defence against a charge of murder or other levels of assault where they kill or injure the intruder.7 The burden of proving the householders did not act in defence rests with the prosecution.8 The Court has made it clear that "reasonable force" bears the same meaning in the context of defence as section 3(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1967

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Criminal Justice, Miscarriages of justice

Criminal Justice in England and Wales Miscarriages of justice Everyone agrees that the aim of the law is to achieve justice. Many argue that justice is the ultimate goal to which the law should strive. But what does the word 'justice' mean? Kelson, whose theories were first published in 1911 and further developed in his General Theory of Law and State published in 1945, suggested that it is not scientifically possible to define justice because it is simply a matter of individual preferences and values. However in simple terms, 'justice' means 'fairness'. Clearly what is 'fair' to one person may be regarded as unfair to another but, although it is impossible to agree everything, it is hoped consensus can be reached in a society on many features of a 'just' legal system. There are two basic definitions of justice within the law- formal (or procedural) justice substantive justice. Any state has a legal system through which justice is dispensed. The whole process of enforcing legal rules is formal justice. If someone breaks the legal rules the state takes action. The state dispensing 'justice.' Formal justice may be defined as: 'The following of legal rules and treating like cases alike.' Formal justice is about applying the rules fairly to everyone. It is a fundamental principle that one should be above the law and those who administer the law should do so without

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Observation in Magistrate Courts

Magistrates Court Observation This essay will attempt to give a detailed account of an observation in a Magistrates Court. With reference to history from authors such as Skyrme and official web sites, put together by the magistrates association. In the latter part of the twelfth century, in 1195 King Richard I 'commissioned certain knights to preserve the peace in unruly areas' (magistrates-association). Their responsibilities were to the Crown, and included the maintenance of the law and to enforce it as far as possible. From this time on, the Bench, or the Magistrates as we know them now were known as 'Keepers of the Peace'. An Act in 1327, made it law that 'good and lawful' men were to be 'appointed in every county to 'guard the peace'; Justices of the peace still have the power over disruptive and disorderly people. The power and decisions made are not of a punishment, but more as a deterrent to prevent the offender from recommitting the crime (magistrates-association). It was not until 1919 that women were able to become magistrates. This was when the removal of the Sex Disqualification Act came into practice. On the 31 December 1919, Mrs Ada Summers, Mayor of Stalybridge became the fist female magistrate. Then on the first January 1920, at least six other women were appointed to the same post. From year to year this number had significantly increased and

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