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Criminal Defenses

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Criminal Defense Case Analysis Paper

Nikisha Rayford

CJA/354

February 10, 2014
Gary Weil

Criminal Defense Case Analysis

Criminal Defenses One of the greatest rights afforded to the America people is the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty in the court of law. It is the job of the prosecutor to prove to the people, to the jury, and to the court that the accused is guilty of a crime. If the prosecutor has a valid case, the accused, either on his or her own or accompanied by a skilled attorney, can present various defenses to argue why they acted in the manner they did. According to Criminal Law Today, “A defense consists of evidence and arguments offered by a defendant and his or her attorneys to show why that person should not be held liable for a criminal charge” (Schmalleger 2010, pg. 114). This paper will discuss various forms of criminal defenses and how they are used in court.

Justification Defense The courts usually require that the prosecutor prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of a crime, the defense can take an offensive role in their trial by taking an affirmative defense. Instead of sitting back and waiting for the prosecuting attorney to attempt to prove the defendant’s guilt, the defendant can fight back with defenses. The following are types of affirmative defenses:

Necessity The defense of necessity claims that the defendant believes it was necessary to commit the criminal act in order to prevent or avoid great harm (Schmalleger, 2010 pg 116). An interesting case that a defense of necessity was used was Regina v. Dudley and Stephens (1884) where three seamen, Thomas Dudley, Edward Stephens, and a man named Brooks were onboard an English ship in 1884 when their ship sank. They escaped to a lifeboat with another individual named Richard Parker who was

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