Main Content
Class #9: Strict Liability Offenses
Strict liability crimes do not require a mental state at all. In this assignment, we will explore the doctrinal areas in which strict liability crimes occur (public welfare offenses and statutory rape). We also will consider the policy bases justifying these exceptions to the general rule requiring a mental state, parse the complex NYPL provisions criminalizing sex with and among minors, and then briefly consider the complex policy questions raised by regulating consensual sex in the first place.
This book, and all H2O books, are Creative Commons licensed for sharing and re-use with the exception of certain excerpts. Any excerpts from the Restatements of the Law, Principles of the Law, and the Model Penal Code are copyright by The American Law Institute. Excerpts are reproduced with permission, not as part of a Creative Commons license.