Verified Document

Are Epileptics Who Drive Protected From Actus Reus Essay

Related Topics:

Actus Reus Does Tom meet the actus reus requirement to be prosecuted for the deaths?

Yes, Tom meets the actus reus requirement, because he knows he is an epileptic and willingly operated a vehicle without medical authorization: thus, he willfully placed himself and others in a potentially dangerous situation. Though he did not will the seizure at that moment, he knew that there was always a possibility that he might have an epileptic fit any time, so he meets the actus reus requirement by choosing to get behind the wheel in the first place.

In fact a similar case happened in 1955, when a driver suffering from a seizure killed four individuals on the road. The driver was convicted and lost the appeal on the grounds that he knew of his condition prior to operating the vehicle and thus was responsible for what happened as a result. The court ruled that to exonerate the defendant would be similar to exonerating any drunk driver whose defense was that he did not willfully cause harm on the road -- that it was only an effect of the alcohol. Drinking and driving, the court suggested, was the same as being an epileptic and driving.

However, if he was not legally permitted to drive, there is no defense for time. His defense would have to ascertain whether Tom violated State law by driving without medical authorization. Because laws vary from State to State, there could be some grounds for a defense in this case, seeing as he had not had a seizure in several months and had a good driving record (Leppik, 2006). Regardless, the prosecutor would have to argue that Tom meets the actus reus requirement and base this argument on the case of People v. Decina (1956).
2) What is the definition of actus reus, and why do you believe it is such an important concept in criminal law? (Points: 20

Actus reus is defined as any criminal action that came about as the result of a voluntary/willful action by the body in question. For example, someone who is sleepwalking cannot commit an actus reus because…

Sources used in this document:
References

Leppik, I. (2006). Epilepsy: A Guide to Balancing Your Life. NY: Demos Medical

Publishing.

Lehman, J., Phelps, S. (2008). West's Encyclopedia of American Law. MI: Gale.

People v. Decina. (1956). Appeals Court. Retrieved from http://www2.onu.edu/~s-veltri/documents/Decina.pdf
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Drunk Driving
Words: 1071 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Drunk Driving Trends and Effects Drunk driving and driving under the influence in general is a major problem in the United States. The problem is a common cause of traffic accidents and traffic fatalities and demonstrates a pervasive legal and social issue that has yet to be adequately solved and may even be increasing in occurrence as the population spreads into larger and larger areas. (Flahardy 4) According to Flahardy statistics

Drunk Driving
Words: 3245 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Drunk Driving: A Review of Four Journal Articles Introduction great deal of literature has been written on drunk driving. Some of it involves underage drinking and antisocial behaviors, some involves the court system and the penalties for drunk driving, and some of it simply attempts to address the reasons and causes behind why so many people seem to think that driving drunk is acceptable behavior. In the course of the next

Drunk Driving Sources Scholarly It a Problem
Words: 1526 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Paper

Drunk driving Sources scholarly it a problem solution research paper ( argue / solution) Solution: Increase fines ( jail time / suspend licenses permanently) - educating teens Only ONE solution pick . Driving nowadays has become a relatively common aspect of every day life. More and more people are inseparable from their cars, motorcycles or other private means of transportation. As the number of people using private vehicles increases, so does

Drunk Driving the First Review: Eisenberg's Evaluation
Words: 3580 Length: 12 Document Type: Essay

Drunk Driving The First Review: Eisenberg's Evaluation of policies' effectiveness in relation to drunk driving is the first policy review piece chosen for this article. In the research Eisenberg (2003) presented novel findings on the effectiveness of public policies on the state-level linked to drunk driving, effectiveness in this context refers to reduction in the number of fatal crashes. The author argues that endogenous policies lead to biased conventional estimates of

DUI Experiment Design Test for DUI Experiment
Words: 493 Length: 2 Document Type: Research Paper

DUI experiment design test for DUI Experiment to test DUI Task Force Police departments today must be very careful about how they spend their scarce resources. This experiment is designed to assess the efficacy of the DUI task force, specifically to see if random DUI checks reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents. "Unlike a regular traffic stop, police do not need reasonable suspicion to stop or question suspects at a sobriety checkpoint. While

DWI Fatality Victim Angela Runningen
Words: 535 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Angela and Mark put their two children through college, and Desmond moved to Chicago to pursue a law career. Emma stayed in Madison, and Angela groomed her daughter to take over the family business. In time, Emma gave Angela and Mark two wonderful grandsons, and Desmond embarked on a trip around the world, sending back art work from many countries to be auctioned off for in a charitable benefit. At the

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now