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Corporate Manslaughter

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How has the law on corporate manslaughter developed in English law? Is the current law satisfactory? How does the approach taken in English Law compare to that taken in United States?
The purpose of this research essay is to explore and evaluate critically the development of the law on corporate manslaughter. This area of law involves the interplay and intersection of criminal law and corporate law which makes it a thought provoking area of study. The essay will track the development of the law as it developed in English common law to impose liability on companies for manslaughter and the difficulties associated with prosecuting large companies which gave the impetus for reform in this area. After a brief on the reform process, the essay will …show more content…
This was a significant era in the development of the offence. In two leading cases the identification doctrine was recognized to be applicable to companies accused of manslaughter. Indeed, in Attorney General’s Reference (No.2 of 1999) it was said that, ‘the identification principle remains the only basis in common law for corporate liability for gross negligence manslaughter’. Under the identification principle, criminal culpability can be extended to organizations if a directing mind/will can be found in a director/officer of the organization which can be attributed to the organization as the mens rea of the organization. The use of the identification doctrine opened the doors of criminal liability to companies and was a significant tool in overcoming the problem of the inability of a company to form an …show more content…
The common law offence of gross negligence manslaughter was proving to be ill suited to hold companies culpable for manslaughter. The calls to reform were not only implicit in public outcries, but also explicit in the writings of several academics. The Law Commission Consultation Paper No.135 (1994) was the result of consultations against this backdrop. This was then followed by the Law Commission’s 1996 report. In the year 2000, the Government published its Consultation Paper. The Government’s draft Bill was published five years later in 2005. The end result was the emergence of The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act

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