When should someone who may have intentionally or knowingly committed criminal wrongdoing be excused?Excusing Crimeexamines what excusing conditions are, and why familiar excuses, such as duress, are thought to fulfil those conditions. Setting himself against the 'classical' view of excuses, which has a long heritage, and is enshrined in different forms in many of the world's criminal codes, both liberal and non-liberal; Jeremy Horder argues that it is now time to move forwards. He contends that a wider range of excuses--'diminished capacity', 'due diligence' and 'demands of conscience'--should be recognised in law.
Table of cases Introduction 1. The domain of excuses: A theoretical overview 2. An anatomy of excuses 3. Which theory of excuses? 4. Liberalism, partial excuses, and short-comers 5. Liberalism and the demands-of-conscience excuse 6. Excusing strict liability crime: a liberal account beyond the common law agenda Bibliography Index of authors General Index
Jeremy Horderis Reader in Criminal Law; Porjes Trust Foundation Fellow; and Tutor in Law at Worcester College, Oxford.