Jump to content

Preterintention

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Look up preterintentional in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Preterintention in criminal law is a degree of culpability in which a defendant intended to commit a crime but also unintentionally committed a more serious crime. It derives from the legal Latin phrase praeter intentionem, which means "beyond intention".[1] Preterintentional crimes or offenses may also be referred to as result-conditioned or consequentially aggravated. A common form of preterintentional crime is bodily harm resulting in death, in which the defendant intended to harm the victim but did not intend to kill.

Preterintentional crime as a distinct legal concept is found chiefly in penal systems of the civil law tradition. It arises from the Roman legal principle under which a criminal intent created strict criminal liability for all resulting harm,[2] which is often known by the maxim versari in re illicita. In modern times many legal systems have ceased to impose separate criminal liability for preterintentional crimes. Other legal systems have limited a defendant's criminal liability to situations where the defendant negligently or recklessly caused the preterintentional harm.

Penal systems of the common law tradition generally do not use the concept of preterintentionality, but some common law systems impose criminal penalties for unintended harms under doctrines such as felony murder.

History

[edit]

Strict criminal liability[3] for preterintentional crimes can be traced back to the doctrine of "versari in re illicita",[4] and found application both in the criminal law of ancient Rome,[5][6] and in the canon law of the Roman Church.[7][8]

In Roman law,[9][10] the perpetrator of a criminal act who unintentionally committed a more serious but causally connected crime[11] was still punished for the unintended crime, without it being necessary to establish willfull intent to commit the more serious offense.[12] The person was held strictly criminally liable for the preterintentional crime; thus, it was sufficient to ascertain that the preterintentional crime had been caused by an intentional act.[13]

Elements

[edit]

A preterintentional crime requires an intentional criminal act or omission, and an unintended and more serious outcome. Under some legal systems, a defendant is not criminally liable for the unintended outcome unless the defendant acted with negligent or reckless disregard for that outcome.

Intentional conduct

[edit]

A preterintentional crime requires an intentional act or omission in violation of criminal law.[14] However, this intentional criminal conduct does not have to be successful: a mere intentional attempt at a crime can be sufficient. The judge can condemn the agent for the preterintentional crime caused by the intentional criminal conduct, even if only attempted. For example: Tizio with a threatening attitude makes a sudden movement of his arms with a closed hand towards Caio, and the latter with a reflex movement avoids the blow but stumbles and, falling to the ground, hits his head and dies; the intended crime of assult against Caio is only attempted and not completed, but Tizio is still responsible for the preterintentional homicide of Caio.[15] A criminal attempt, in addition to being sufficient,[16] is also indispensable for the agent to be convicted of a preterintentional crime.[17]

Conversely, an attempted preterintentional crime is logically impossible:[18] if the preterintentional event does not occur, there is no preterintentional crime, and the perpetrator is responsible only for the intended lesser offense, because that is the only crime they committed.[19]

Because a subject cannot be punished twice for the same act,[20] the penalty may be determined taking into account both the crime intended and the preterintentional crime committed.[21]

State of mind

[edit]

Some countries, such as Austria, in order to adapt preterintention to the principle of subjective responsibility, no one can be punished criminally unless as a result of voluntary or at least reckless, negligent or unskilled responsibility,[22] consider preterintention as a form of mixed mental state. The intent supports the conduct of the lesser crime, and fault supports the preterintentional consequence.[23]

In the United States, faithful to the ontological nature of preterintention,[24] it is considered a form of intentional crime,[25] aggravated by the unintentional event which is attributed to the author even if theydid not want the event, thus introducing a form of objective responsibility.[26][27]

By type

[edit]

Preterintentional killing

[edit]

The main example of this form of liability is preterintentional killing,[28] which occurs when a person, with actions aimed at hitting or harming, unintentionally causes the death of a person:[29] the agent will be liable for objective responsibility, or fault, for the laws that require it, for the death event.[30] For example: Tizio argues with Caio and intentionally punches him, Caio falls to the ground and dies: Tizio only wanted to punch him and absolutely did not want to kill him.[31]

In praeterintentional homicide the term "killing" is used and not that of "murder", as in intentional homicide, in order to underline the agent's unwillingness to kill.[32]

Preterintentional homicide can mature under certain factual circumstances, and therefore the penalty will be aggravated according to the type of circumstance ascertained by the judge: for example, the Italian[33] legislator regulates the aggravating circumstances of preterintentional killing in art. 585 penal code,[34] and the French[35] one in art. 222-8 penal code.[36]

Preterintentional abortion

[edit]

Another hypothesis expressly provided for by the law is preterintentional abortion,[37] which occurs when the agent, with actions aimed at causing injury, causes, as an unintended effect, the interruption of pregnancy.[38] For exmample, Tizio argues with Mevia and intentionally punches her, causing Mevia to fall to the ground and miscarry. Tizio only wanted to punch Mevia but did not want to cause the miscarriage of the child in her womb.

Crimes aggravated by the event

[edit]

Then there are the preterintentional crimes in the broad sense:[39] intentional crimes aggravated by an unwanted harmful or dangerous event,[40] which reproduce the typical preterintentional criminal progression:[41] intentional unlawful conduct that produces a more serious involuntary crime.[42] For example: Tizio intentionally slaps his daughter Filena, and Filena suffers serious injuries so much so that she goes to the hospital; in the following days Filena dies from complications from infections on the injuries sustained.[43]

By penal system

[edit]

The concept of preterintentional crime is found primarily in legal systems of the civil law tradition.[44] Preterintentional crimes are or have formerly been recognized by many countries,[45] including the following:

  • In French criminal law, examples of preterintentional offense, dol dépassé, include fatal violence under Article 222-7 of the penal code.[46][47] As in many countries, this form of homicide receives a sentence that is midway in severity between negligent and intentional killing.[48]
  • In the German criminal code, preterintentional or "result-qualified" offenses, erfolgsqualifizierte Delikte, include the crimes of bodily harm resulting in death, arson resulting in death, and kidnapping resulting in death.[49] Under German law a preterintentional offense requires at least a negligent state of mind.[50]
  • Under Italian law, Article 42 of the Italian Penal Code provides that preterintentional crimes cannot be punished unless expressly provided by law. The Code does provide for a punishment of ten to eighteen years for preterintentional homicide under Article 584, which has not been substantively amended since the modern Code was adopted in 1930.[51] Preterintention is specified in Article 43 of the Code as a third culpable state of mind alongside negligence and intent, but preterintentional homicide is the only preterintentional crime defined in the Code.[52]
  • In Dutch criminal law, preterintentional crimes include lethal injury, art. 302 s.2 DPC.[53]

Other legal systems that recognize preterintentional crimes include those of Georgia, where preterintentional crimes require at least negligence,[54] Colombia,[55] and Venezuela.[56]

Many civil law legal systems have rejected preterintentional offenses and the underlying doctrine of versari in re illicita, as reflecting a strict liability approach incompatible with modern constitutional guarantees.[57] In some countries including Spain,[58] Sweden,[59] and Switzerland, preterintentional crimes have been split into their intentional and unintentional parts, and therefore defendants are charged with a voluntary crime for the intentional act, e.g. grave bodily harm, and an involuntary crime for the resulting unintended harm, e.g. negligent homicide.[60] Some legal scholars have argued that cases in which someone commits an preterintentional offence must be regulated, as a legal vacuum is unacceptable.[61][62]

Other countries in which preterintentional crimes were formerly recognized but have been abolished or greatly limited include South Africa[63] and Botswana,[64] both of which rejected the traditional versari principle in the 1960s as embodying a form of strict liability not compatible with modern approaches to criminal law. In South African criminal law, the state of mind necessary for a defendant to be criminally responsible for an unintended consequence of a criminal act is dolus eventualis, which requires both foreseeing the potential for harm and acting in reckless disregard of the consequences.[65] The courts of Zimbabwe and Namibia have similarly adopted a requirement that a defendant foresee the reasonable possibility of the preterintentional harm occurring.[66]

Countries of the common law tradition have typically followed a comparatively flexible approach to preterintentional crimes.[67] In United States criminal law, depending on the state, preterintentional offenses may include felony murder and voluntary manslaughter.[68][69] In English criminal law, preterintentional crimes are generally punished where there is sufficient similarity between the intended crime and the result. This approach is justified based on the doctrines of "unforeseen mode", "mistaken object", and "transferred fault".[70]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Stone, Jon R. (2003-09-02). More Latin for the Illiterati: A Guide to Medical, Legal and Religious Latin. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-96195-4.
  2. ^ Napodano, Gabriele (1878). Il diritto penale romano nelle sue attenenze col diritto penale moderno (in Italian). G. de Angelis e figlio.
  3. ^ Varela, Lorena (2012). Strict-Liability como forma de imputación jurídico-penal (PDF) (in Spanish). University Pompeu Fabra.
  4. ^ Asworth, Andrew (2013). "Principles of Criminal Law" (PDF). pp. 24 of 37. This has a Latin tag, versari in re illicita, and in its widest form it argues that anyone who decides to transgress the criminal law should be held liable for all the consequences that ensue, even if they are more serious than expected.
  5. ^ Saripolos, Nikolaos J. (1868). Systema tes en Helladi ischyuses poinekes nomothesias ... (in Greek). Phopulos.
  6. ^ Santalucia, Bernardo (1994). Studi di diritto penale romano (in Italian). L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER. ISBN 978-88-7062-864-7.
  7. ^ Myrcha, Marianus-Alphonsus. "De lege ferenda in iure poenali canonico" (PDF).
  8. ^ Marchal, Jean-Louis (2011). "La complicité en droit pénal canonique : décryptage du canon 1329". L'Année canonique (in French). LIII (1): 131–162. doi:10.3917/cano.053.0131. ISSN 0570-1953.
  9. ^ Landucci, Lando (1886). Storia del diritto romano: dalle origini fino a Giustiniano; corso scolastico secondo il vigente regolamento per la facoltà di giurisprudenza (in Italian). Sacchetto.
  10. ^ Cantarella, Eva; Dauzat, Pierre-Emmanuel (2003-03-05). Ithaque: De la vengeance d'Ulysse à la naissance du droit (in French). Albin Michel. ISBN 978-2-226-33069-7.
  11. ^ La Giustizia penale: rivista mensile di dottrina, giurisprudenza e legislazione (in Italian). Città di Castello. 1948.
  12. ^ Lebigre, Arlette (1967-01-01). Quelques aspects de la responsabilité pénale en droit romain classique (in French). (Presses universitaires de France) réédition numérique FeniXX. ISBN 978-2-7059-1189-8.
  13. ^ Ferrini, Contardo (1899). ... Diritto penale romano: teorie generali esposte (in Italian). Hoepli.
  14. ^ Ramacci, Fabrizio (2016-11-25). I delitti di omicidio (in Italian). Giappichelli. ISBN 978-88-921-0521-8.
  15. ^ de Asúa, Luis Jimenez (2023-12-12). Principios de derecho penal la ley y el delito: La ley del delito (in Spanish). Ediciones Olejnik. ISBN 978-956-407-261-6.
  16. ^ Elliott, Catherine (2001-05-01). French Criminal Law. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-99314-6.
  17. ^ Horder, Jeremy (2007-12-10). Homicide Law in Comparative Perspective. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84731-385-0.
  18. ^ Gallo, Marco (2017). Moralités: Bemerkungen zum Strafrecht. Aus dem Italienischen von Thomas Vormbaum (in German). LIT Verlag Münster. ISBN 978-3-643-90876-6.
  19. ^ Fabio, Basile (2015-01-28). I delitti contro la vita e l'incolumità individuale (in Italian). CEDAM. ISBN 978-88-13-35514-2.
  20. ^ Buckley, Carla M.; Kamber, Krešimir; McCormick, Pamela; Harris, David J. (2022-11-23). The European Convention on Human Rights – Principles and Law. Council of Europe. ISBN 978-92-871-9191-5.
  21. ^ Ronco, Mauro (2017-08-30). Scritti patavini: Due tomi indivisibili (in Italian). Giappichelli. ISBN 978-88-921-0693-2.
  22. ^ "Twelveth international congress of penal law (Hamburg, 16 – 22 September 1979)". Revue internationale de droit pénal (in French). 86 (1–2): 323–334. 2015. doi:10.3917/ridp.861.0323. ISSN 0223-5404.
  23. ^ Maiwald, Manfred (2009). Einführung in das italienische Strafrecht und Strafprozessrecht (in German). Peter Lang. ISBN 978-3-631-58451-4.
  24. ^ Weinreb, Lloyd (1986-07-01). "Desert, Punishment, and Criminal Responsibility". Law and Contemporary Problems. 49 (3): 47–80. doi:10.2307/1191625. ISSN 0023-9186. JSTOR 1191625.
  25. ^ Zamboni, Mauro (2018-11-01). Teoría evolutiva y positivismo jurídico : un matrimonio posible (in Spanish). Universidad Externado. ISBN 978-958-790-096-5.
  26. ^ Asworth, Andrew (2013). "Principles of Criminal Law" (PDF). pp. 25 of 39. John Gardner originally argued that if the criminal law puts D on notice that this will be the consequence, the requirements of the rule of law are fulfilled
  27. ^ Crump, David (1985). In Defense of the Felony Murder Doctrine. South Texas College of Law.
  28. ^ Pin, Xavier (2023-10-12). Droit pénal général 2024 15ed (in French). Groupe Lefebvre Dalloz. ISBN 978-2-247-22928-4.
  29. ^ Cadoppi, Alberto; Canestrari, Stefano; Manna, Adelmo; Papa, Michele (2022-06-07). Diritto penale (in Italian). UTET Giuridica. ISBN 978-88-598-2526-5.
  30. ^ Lambinet (dir.), France; Collectif (2017-08-23). L'élément moral en droit: Une vision transversale (in French). Anthemis. ISBN 978-2-8072-0104-0.
  31. ^ Trapani, Mario (2022-12-30). Il reato e le sue conseguenze. Punibilità, pena, punizione in un sistema criminale integrale e integrato (in Italian). Roma TrE-Press. ISBN 979-12-5977-141-4.
  32. ^ Lucchini, Luigi (1896). Studi illustrativi del Codice penale italiano (in Italian). Unione Tipografico-Editrice Torinese.
  33. ^ Ramacci, Fabrizio; Spangher, Giorgio (2010). Il sistema della sicurezza pubblica (in Italian). Giuffrè Editore. ISBN 978-88-14-15787-5.
  34. ^ "Art. 585 codice penale - Circostanze aggravanti". Brocardi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  35. ^ Elliott, Catherine (2001-05-01). French Criminal Law. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-99314-6.
  36. ^ "Article 222-8 - Code pénal - Légifrance". www.legifrance.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2024-08-24.
  37. ^ Valiante, Paolo (2019-07-05). "L'aborto preterintenzionale: una contraddizione del sistema" [Preterintentional abortion : a contradiction of the sysem]. L-JUS (in Italian). VII (1). Centro Studi Rosario Livatino. ISSN 2611-5476. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  38. ^ Villalba, Jaime Lombana (2007). Derecho penal y responsabilidad médica (in Spanish). Universidad del Rosario. ISBN 978-958-8235-74-5.
  39. ^ Ramacci, Fabrizio (2016-11-25). I delitti di omicidio (in Italian). Giappichelli. ISBN 978-88-921-0521-8.
  40. ^ "Crimes aggravated by the event" (PDF).
  41. ^ Trapani, Mario. "La divergenza tra il "voluto" e il "realizzazione"" (PDF).
  42. ^ Hoffmann-Holland, Klaus (2023-08-14). Strafrecht Allgemeiner Teil (in German). UTB. ISBN 978-3-8252-6114-6.
  43. ^ Bell, John; Boyron, Sophie; Whittaker, Simon (2008). Principles of French Law. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-954138-6.
  44. ^ Deng Yicheng. A Study of Aggravated Consequential Offense (Ph.D. thesis). Tohoku University. p. 1. hdl:10097/60371.
  45. ^ Reed, Alan; Bohlander, Michael (2022-08-22). Fault in Criminal Law: A Research Companion. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-63052-7.
  46. ^ République française; Secrétariat général du gouvernement (19 October 2022). "Légifrance Le service public de la diffusion du droit" [The public service for dissemination of the law]. Légifrance. Direction de l'information légale et administrative. CP art. 222-7. ISSN 2270-8987. OCLC 867599055.
  47. ^ Canin, Patrick (2024-01-17). Fondamentaux - Droit pénal général 2024 (in French). Hachette Éducation. ISBN 978-2-01-723570-5.
  48. ^ Ambos, Kai (2006). "Preterintencionalidad y cualificación por el resultado: reflexiones desde el Derecho comparado" [Preterintentionality and qualification by result: reflections from comparative law] (PDF). Indret: Revista para el análisis del derecho (in Spanish). 3 (365): 2-3 n.10.
  49. ^ Hochmayr, Gudrun; Gropp, Walter (2021-06-24). Die Verjährung als Herausforderung für die grenzüberschreitende Zusammenarbeit in Strafsachen: Entwicklung eines Harmonisierungsvorschlags (in German). Nomos Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7489-2653-5.
  50. ^ Staffler 2015, p. 27.
  51. ^ Staffler, Lukas (2015). Präterintentionalität und Zurechnungsdogmatik. Zur Auslegung der Körperverletzung mit Todesfolge im Rechtsvergleich Deutschland und Italien [Preterintention and Attribution Theory: On the Interpretation of Bodily Harm Causing Death in a Legal Comparison Between Germany and Italy] (in German). Berlin: Verlag Duncker & Humblot. p. 132. ISBN 978-3-428-14637-6.
  52. ^ Staffler 2015, pp. 21.
  53. ^ Reed, Alan; Bohlander, Michael (2018-10-03). Homicide in Criminal Law: A Research Companion. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-01629-2.
  54. ^ "Jurnal of law 2017".
  55. ^ Méndez, Alfonso Gómez; Monguí, Pablo Elías González (2020-08-31). Delitos contra la vida y la integridad personal (in Spanish). U. Externado de Colombia. ISBN 978-958-790-337-9.
  56. ^ Ramon, Rafael. "La Preterintención En La Legislación Penal Venezolana" [Preterintention In Venezuelan Penal Legislation] (in Spanish).
  57. ^ Melia, Manuel Cancio (2003). "Victim Behavior and Offender Liability: A European Perspective". Buffalo Criminal Law Review. 7: 539.
  58. ^ Massaro, Antonella; Riera, Jaime Miguel Peris (2023-02-15). Derecho penal, inteligencia artificial y neurociencias/Diritto penale, intelligenza artificiale e neuroscienze (in Spanish). Roma TrE-Press. p. 129 n.29. ISBN 979-12-5977-149-0.
  59. ^ Ulväng, Magnus (2018). "Sweden". In Reed, Alan; Bohlander, Michael (eds.). Homicide in Criminal Law: A Research Companion. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-01629-2.
  60. ^ Pradel, Jean (2016-09-14). Droit pénal comparé. 4e éd (in French). Editis - Interforum. ISBN 978-2-247-15085-4.
  61. ^ Dinh, Anne-Marie Ho (2007). "The "Legal Vacuum" and the "Necessity of Law": For a Return to the Hypothesis of Non-Law". L'Année sociologique (in French). 57 (2): 419–453. ISSN 0066-2399.
  62. ^ Savigny, Friedrich Carl von (1831). Of the vocation of our age for legislation and jurisprudence. Tr. by A. Hayward.
  63. ^ Hoctor, Shannon Vaughn (2017-06-20). Criminal Law in South Africa. Kluwer Law International B.V. ISBN 978-90-411-9490-9.
  64. ^ Carney, P. M. (1968). "Botswana Rejects Versari". South African Law Journal. 85: 80.
  65. ^ Hoctor, Shannon (2008). "The concept of dolus eventualis in South African law-an historical perspective". Fundamina: A Journal of Legal History. 14 (2): 14–23.
  66. ^ Hoctor 2008, pp. 23 n.64.
  67. ^ Ambos 2006, p. 4.
  68. ^ Varela, Lorena (2016). "Strict-Liability como forma de imputación jurídico-penal". Indret: Revista Para el Análisis del Derecho (3): 19–26.
  69. ^ Plantamura, Vito (2016-01-01). "L'omicidio preterintenzionale, anche come species del genus omicidio improvviso". Pisa University Press (in Italian).
  70. ^ Asworth, Andrew (2013). "Principles of Criminal Law" (PDF). pp. 38, 41.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Preterintention&oldid=1257305415"