Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Law
A Fair Punishment For Humbert Humbert: Strict Liability And Affirmative Defenses, Vera Bergelson
A Fair Punishment For Humbert Humbert: Strict Liability And Affirmative Defenses, Vera Bergelson
Vera Bergelson
In this article, I focused on the intersection of strict liability offenses and affirmative defenses. I sought to explore and evaluate a peculiar discrepancy: all states, as well as the Model Penal Code, deny to a defendant charged with a strict liability offense the defense of mistake, yet at the same time, allow most other affirmative defenses. Is this discrepancy warranted? Consider the following scenarios inwhich Humbert Humbert is charged with the statutory rape of Lolita: If Humbert Humbert tried to argue that he had acted under a mistaken belief that Lolita was above the age of consent, he most …
The Case Of Weak Will And Wayward Desire., Vera Bergelson
The Case Of Weak Will And Wayward Desire., Vera Bergelson
Vera Bergelson
In this article, I confront Garvey¡¯s argument that a weak-willed individual deserves partial excuse for trying to resist a strong desire that pushes him toward commission of a criminal act even though in the end he unreasonably abandons his resistance and commits the crime. I attempt to refute Garvey¡¯s argument on two counts: one, I question whether the law should indeed provide mitigation to such an offender; and two, I argue that, even if it should, this mitigation may not come in the form of a partial defense. Defenses, even partial, are desert based, and there is nothing in Garvey¡¯s …
Rights, Wrongs, And Comparative Justifications, Vera Bergelson
Rights, Wrongs, And Comparative Justifications, Vera Bergelson
Vera Bergelson
The goal of this article is to rethink the relationship between the concepts of justification and wrongdoing, which play vital roles in the theory of criminal law. Reading George P. Fletcher’s new book, The Grammar of Criminal Law, in the context of his earlier scholarship has led me to one major disagreement with Fletcher as well as with the traditional criminal law doctrine: for Fletcher and many others, wrongdoing and justification mutually exclude each other; for me, they do not. Consider a hypothetical: a group of people are captured by criminals. The criminals are about to kill everyone but then …
Victims And Perpetrators: An Argument For Comparative Liability In Criminal Law, Vera Bergelson
Victims And Perpetrators: An Argument For Comparative Liability In Criminal Law, Vera Bergelson
Vera Bergelson
This article challenges the legal rule according to which the victim’s conduct is irrelevant to the determination of the perpetrator’s criminal liability. The author attacks this rule from both positive and normative perspectives, and argues that criminal law should incorporate an affirmative defense of comparative liability. This defense would fully or partially exculpate the defendant if the victim by his own acts has lost or reduced his right not to be harmed. Part I tests the descriptive accuracy of the proposition that the perpetrator’s liability does not depend on the conduct of the victim. Criminological and victimological studies strongly suggest …