NCJ Number
136416
Journal
Criminal Law Forum Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: (Spring 1991) Pages: 511-567
Date Published
1991
Length
57 pages
Annotation
These two papers were presented at the Review of Commonwealth Criminal Law, held under the auspices of the Society for the Reform of Criminal Law, in Brisbane, Australia, in April 1991.
Abstract
The Society has been involved in the attempt to rationalize Australia's criminal law, in which there is currently a great deal of variation in the applicable principles of responsibility from statute to statute and from State to State. The movement for codification is designed to achieve consistency and simplicity in the criminal law by seeking common ground, following a system of review, and creating a more rational approach to the law. The Brisbane seminar examined many issues relevant to the codification movement including fault elements, mistakes, age of criminal responsibility, insanity, provocation, complicity, defense of persons and property, corporate crime, attempts, and conspiracy. The Third Interim Report of the Review Committee accompanies this article. The second paper deals with the law of attempts. There are several tests to determine whether or not an attempted crime has occurred, including the substantial step test, the proximity test, and the dangerousness test. This author argues that any codification of the law of attempts needs to be clear, unambiguous, and not conducive of multiple interpretations. 65 notes and 70 notes