Question

Define this elements of criminal law: the act, the attendant circumstances and the state of mind and intent.

Answer 1

The criminal law has three major elements; the act, the attendant circumstances and the intent. The act is defined an unlawful bodily movement. For instance, Genene is mad at her husband. She takes wine bottle and aims it at him with full force. However, he misses it. This is the act. The attendant circumstances include the setting, location, characteristics of the victim and criminal methodology. In the above scenario, Genene did not pre-plan shooting the glass wine bottle at her husband out of rage. It was instantaneous. However, it would have been a crime had she been found guilty of her intentions. Intent refers to why a person indulges in 'the act'. The intentions can vary from situation to situation. For instance, a kidnapper could kidnap somebody for revenge, other times he uses it for ransom, on some occasions the intention is solely to kidnap and murder. Intention plays a very important role in determining whether one is a criminal or not.