Explain the three main situations in which ignorance or mistake can serve as a defense to criminal liability
What will be an ideal response?
First, in some circumstances, a person may be able to rely on an interpretation of the law that turns out later to be erroneous. This could include one's own reliance, reliance on an attorney's advice, or reliance on some other official's interpretation. The second main situation in which a person may escape criminal liability because of ignorance or mistake concerns whether there was fair notice that the actions in question were criminal. Almost all the time, people are expected to know the law. In some situations, though, the law in question may be so obscure and unfamiliar that it would be unfair to hold someone liable for violating it. Finally, ignorance or mistake can—in very limited circumstances, mind you—excuse criminal liability if either manages to negate mens rea.
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