Week 4 Assignment – Criminal Law, Criminal Culpability, and Criminal Liability

Overview

According to the text, criminal law is aimed at the misbehavior that falls below society’s norms and values. The burden of enforcing criminal law and maintaining public order and public safety falls to local, state, and even the federal government; all help to shape and prescribe conduct in the United States. Each state is specifically responsible for the maintenance of public order and public safety within their borders. The federal government is responsible for regulating criminal conduct delegated to it by the U.S. Constitution. Each branch of government, at the state and federal level, must proscribe the required elements of each crime charged and prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt per the Due Process Clause and other constitutional requirements. In this assignment, you will explore criminal law, criminal culpability and its limitations, and what is required for criminal liability and punishment.

Instructions

Write a 2–3-page paper in which you:

Explain the goals of criminal law and why these goals are still important today.

Explain the connection between state police power and the limitations of this power imposed by the Constitution.

• Identify the differences between state and federal jurisdiction, when it comes to criminal law, and what is meant by due process of law.
• Describe the manner in which the four goals of criminal law are met by requiring and proving both a mental element and physical act beyond a reasonable doubt.