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Speak Up! - View Question #313 |
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Question: If somebody steals and doesn’t know he stole something, what would happen if the store found out?
Answer: Our criminal laws in the United States will only punish people for committing intentional criminal acts. Doing something intentionally means that you tried to do it, wanted to do it, and set out to do it. Legally, this concept is called 'Mens Rea', which is Latin for 'mental state' or 'frame of mind'.
Because we require 'intent', that means that you can never be found guilty of committing any crime if you did something by accident or without your knowledge.
For example, if someone dropped something in your pocket in a store and you walked out of the store without knowing about it, you couldn't be convicted of theft. You didn't have the intent to commit theft. In this example, however, the person that dropped the item in your pocket might be guilty of theft, by using you as their way of stealing the item.
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