1. Share a Golden Line from your One Pager.

2. The Need for Criminal Law
Purposes of criminal law:
Rehabilitation
Prevent recidivism
Address underlying issues
Reintegration into community
Protection/Prevention
Threat of punishment
Sets standards
Punishment
Isolation
Deprivation
How do these relate to the 3 approaches to justice (retributive, rehabilitative, restorative)?

3. What makes an act… Immoral? Illegal/Criminal?
Using the Criminal Code of Canada ( , establish a 3-4 part set of rules that could be applied to determine whether an act is illegal/criminal.
Immoral?
Illegal/Criminal?

4. What should the Criminal Code contain?
Reflect existing standards of society?
Aspirational standards?
Normative guidance for best behaviour?
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5. The Nature of Criminal Law
“The Criminal Code reflects the values of society by declaring certain actions to be criminal. Reform of the Criminal Code usually reflects a shift in these values and may occur because of public pressure.”
Conditions for Criminality
The action must harm other people.
The action must violate the basic values of society.
Using the law to deal with the action must not violate the basic values of society.
Criminal law can make a significant contribution to resolving the problem.
(Law Commission of Canada)

6. Conditions for Criminality

7. Elements of a Crime Actus reus
Wrongful deed that is prohibited by law.
1) Action/
2) Failure to act Must be present at the same time
Mens rea
A guilty mind
1) Intent
True purpose of the act
General (limited to the act, no further criminal purpose)
Specific (further criminal purpose)
2) Knowledge
Need not prove an intent…
3)Recklessness
Careless disregard, even if intent to harm not present.

8. Criminal Code of Canada: Selections
Mens rea? (intent, Knowledge, Recklessness)
Actus reus? (Action, Inaction)
Punishment?
Legal terms?

9. Criminal Code of Canada: Selections
Mens rea? (intent, Knowledge, Recklessness)
Actus reus? (Action, Inaction)
Punishment?
Legal terms?

10. Criminal Acts … Thinking it through…
Understanding and Comprehension
What kind of law is the Criminal Code of Canada?
How can the Criminal Code be changed?
What are the two conditions that compose a criminal act?
What makes an action criminal?
Critical Thinking and Application
What factors influence what kind of actions are determined to be criminal?
Is the Criminal Code infallible?
Should a criminal code be reflective or aspirational of a society’s cultural, moral, political, philosophical beliefs?