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2.8: Chapter Summary

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    According to the law, criminal intents are ranked in order of culpability are malice aforethought, specific intent, and general intent. An accomplice to a crime is responsible for the crime as the criminal actor or principal. An accessory is guilty of a separate crime that is almost always a misdemeanor. There are two types of attempt statutes. Some states have general attempt statutes that set forth attempt elements and apply them to any criminal offense. Other states and the federal government have specific attempt statutes that define attempt according to specified crimes, such as murder, robbery, or rape. Keep in mind that several states do not criminalize attempts in a statute and consider it a common-law crime. Jurisdictions use four tests to ascertain whether the defendant has committed the attempted criminal act: proximity test, res ipsa loquitur test, probable desistance test, and the Model Penal Code’s substantial steps test.

    Key Terms
    • Aforethought
    • Malice aforethought
    • Specific intent
    • General intent
    • Transferred intent
    • Motive
    • Accomplice
    • Accessory

    Review Questions

    1. Outline the types of intent and explain each one in detail.
    2. What is motive and how does it help the state to convict a murderer?
    3. Explain what an accomplice is and what an accessory is, provide examples of both.
    4. Describe the following tests used to ascertain whether the defendant has committed the attempt criminal act.

    This page titled 2.8: Chapter Summary was last modified on Sat, 03 Oct 2026 18:49:41 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by George Cartwright.