CRI205H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Precedent, Eye For An Eye, Indictable Offence
20 Oct 2017
School
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Code of hammurabi: first written criminal code, developed in babylonia about 2000 bce. Lex talionis: punishment based on physical retaliation, precursor to more abstract forms of retribution used today: the severity of punishment depended on class. Mosaic code: by tradition, the covenant between god and the tribes of israel in which they agreed to obey his law in return for god"s special care and protection. Werglid: under medieval law, the money paid by the offender to compensate the victim and the state for a criminal offence: guilt was determined by ordeals. Oath-helpers: during the middle ages, groups of 12-25 people who would support the accused"s innocence: sporadic and non-uniform application of law and punishment that dependent on lords. Origins of common law: crimes were viewed as personal wrongs, and compensation was paid to victims, criminal law was designed to provide an equitable solution to what was considered a private dispute.
