Compare and contrast accomplices and accessories. Why are accessories punished less severely than accomplices? Do you agree with this practice? Why or why not?

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All participants before and during the commission of a crime (accomplices) are prosecuted for the crime itself. Participation before and during a crime is therefore very serious and the punishment for being an accomplice is the same as for the person who actually committed the crime. Participation after crimes are committed (accessory liability) is prosecuted as a separate, minor offense. Accessories are punished for misdemeanors, a much less serious offense because accessories are looked at as obstructors of justice, not as felons.

Criminal Justice

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