CRIM 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Transportation Security Administration, Malum Prohibitum, Jury Trial
22 Sep 2016
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Zimmerman case: zimmerman was a neighborhood watch member and after following trayvon martin to a gated community continued to follow him on foot. Neighbors reported shout for help that ended with a gunshot. Zimmerman pleaded not guilty on basis of self-defense. The department of justice hired a special prosecutor to charge him and fired the current police chief. Some people think this proves the system works, but others think it let a violent crime go unpunished. If the prosecutor chose to believe zimmerman"s version of events then the case would not have reached jury trial. Some crimes are so harmful that they must be punished and, therefore, outweigh the negative effects that dangerous activities such as drinking possess. Crimes such as rape and murder are referred to mala in se: wrong by their very nature. Other offenses that all people do agree are bad are called mala prohibita: prohibited by law, but not necessarily wrong in themselves.
