Actus Reus in the United States

Resources

See Also

Legal Topics.

Burden of Proof; Crime: Definition; Mens Rea; Vicarious Liability.

Related Case Law

Commonwealth v. Dusenbery, 220 Va. 770, 263 S.E. 2d 392 (1980).

Powell v. Texas, 392 U.S. 514 (1968).

Robinson v. California, 370 U.S. 660 (1962).

Further Reading (Books)

American Law Institute. Model Penal Code. Philadelphia: ALI, 1962.

Annas, Julia. “How Basic Are Basic Actions?” Proceedings of the Aristotelean Society 78 (1978): 195_213.

Armstrong, David. A Theory of Universals. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1978.

Austin, J. L. “A Plea for Excuses.” Proceedings of the Aristotelean Society 57 (1956): 1_30.

Austin, John. Lectures on Jurisprudence, 5th ed. London: 1885.

Bennett, Jonathan. Events and Their Names. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1988.

Bentham, Jeremy. Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789). Buffalo, N.Y.: 1988.

Brand, Myles. “The Language of Not Doing.” American Philosophical Quarterly 8 (1971): 45_53.

Bratman, Michael. Intentions, Plans, and Practical Reason. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1987.

Buxton, R. “Circumstances, Consequences, and Attempted Rape.” Criminal Law Review (1984): 25_34.

Corrado, Michael. “Is There an Act Requirement in the Criminal Law?” University of Pennsylvania Law Review 142 (1994): 1529_1561.

Davidson, Donald. Essays on Actions and Events. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1980.

Duff, R. A. Intention, Agency, and Criminal Liability. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1990.

Epstein, Richard. “A Theory of Strict Liability.” Journal of Legal Studies 2 (1973): 151_204.

Fletcher, George. Rethinking Criminal Law. Boston: Little, Brown, 1978.

“On the Moral Irrelevance of Bodily Movements.” University of Pennsylvania Law Review 142 (1994): 1443_1453.

Goldman, Alvin. A Theory of Human Action. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1970.

“Action and Crime: A Fine-Grained Approach.” University of Pennsylvania Law Review 142 (1994): 1563_1586.

Further Reading (Books 2)

Gross, Hyman. A Theory of Criminal Justice. New York: Oxford University Press, 1979.

Hart, H. L. A. “Acts of Will and Responsibility.” In Punishment and Responsibility. Edited by H. L. A. Hart, Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1968. Pages 90_112.

Holmes, Oliver Wendell. the Common Law. Boston: Little, Brown, 1881.

Hughes, Graham. “Criminal Omissions.” Yale Law Journal 67 (1958): 590_637.

Kadish, Sanford. “The Decline of Innocence.” Blame and Punishment. Edited by Sanford Kadish. New York: Macmillan, 1987.

Mack, Eric. “Bad Samaritanism and the Causation of Harm.” Philosophy and Public Affairs 9 (1980): 230_259.

Moore, Michael S. Act and Crime: The Philosophy of Action and Its Implications for Criminal Law. Oxford, U.K.: Clarendon Press, 1993.

“More on Act and Crime.” University of Pennsylvania Law Review 142 (1994): 1749_1840.

Packer, Herbert. The Limits of the Criminal Sanction. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1968.

Rescher, Nicholas. “On the Characterization of Actions.” The Nature of Human Action. Edited by M. Brand. Glenview, Ill.: Scott Foresman, 1970.

Ryle, Gilbert. The Concept of Mind. London: Hutcheson, 1949.

Scholz, Franz. Sleep and Dream. Translated by H. J. Jewett. New York: 1893.

Thalberg, Irving. Perception, Emotion, and Action. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1977.

Vermazen, Bruce. “Negative Acts.” Essays on Davidson’s Actions and Events. Edited by B. Vermazen and M. Hintikka. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1985.

Williams, Glanville. Criminal Law: The General Part. 2d ed. London: Stevens and Sons, 1961.

“The Problem of Reckless Attempts.” Criminal Law Review (1983): 365_375.

Further Reading (Articles)

The actus reus of Dr. Caligari. (criminal responsibility in cases of somnabulism or hypnotic suggestion) (Symposium: Act & Crime), University of Pennsylvania Law Review; May 1, 1994; Williams, Bernard

Investigators from School of Law Report New Data on Criminal Justice Research, Politics & Government Week; January 16, 2014

New York Court of Appeals Case Summaries: December 23, 2010, Daily Record (Rochester, NY); December 23, 2010

Cyflawni’r Hyn Ddylai Cynhyrchiad o’r Fath; YR HERALD CYMRAEG, Daily Post (Liverpool, England); November 29, 2006

Protection and Prosecution: Falling at Work, LawNow; March 1, 2013; Bowal, Peter

International Criminal Law – Accessory Liability – Special Court for Sierra Leone Rejects “Specific Direction” Requirement for Aiding and Abetting Violations of International Law, Harvard Law Review; April 1, 2014

Court Decision Emphasizes the Importance of A Preventive System in Discharging Environmental and Health and Safety Obligations, Mondaq Business Briefing; September 23, 2013; Coop, Jack

A Justice That Is Juvenile, The Nation (Karachi, Pakistan); April 6, 2014

What the judges said; THE ruling, The Herald; May 22, 2004

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMINAL LIABILITY: WHAT FEDERAL OFFICIALS KNOW (OR SHOULD KNOW) CAN HURT THEM, Air Force Law Review; January 1, 2004; Cole, Joseph E

No Personal Environmental Conviction without Knowledge or Participation, Mondaq Business Briefing; July 22, 2013; Saxe, Dianne

Bembol Dela Cruz : An Artful Execution of Conscience, Manila Bulletin; June 18, 2012;

Crime, Canadian Encyclopedia; January 1, 2012; J.W. MOHR AND KEITH SPENCER

Comparative Approaches to Punishing Hate: The Intersection of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity, Stanford Journal of International Law; June 22, 2007; Nersessian, David L.

Criminal Speech: Inducement and the First Amendment, The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin; April 1, 2008; King, Martin J.

Third Circuit Elucidates Waiver Standards, Mondaq Business Briefing; December 6, 2013; Yingling, M. Patrick

Too Many White Collar Prosecutions, The Washington Post; June 25, 1989; John C. Coffee Jr.

Shifting the Paradigm in Child Pornography Criminalization: United States V Maxwell, Brigham Young University Law Review; January 1, 1998; Fears, Chad R.

Defining Rape: A Means to Achieve Justice in the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Chicago Journal of International Law; July 1, 2005; Hansen-Young, Thekla

Haute Couture, Poorly Tailored Crimes, and Ill-Fitting Verdicts, Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy; June 22, 2003; Finkel, Norman J.