The Role of Motive

A motive is the reason that a person has engaged in criminal behavior. There can be many different types of motives for each crime - motives for theft can range from raising money for living expenses to psychological compulsion. Prosecutors often use motives as circumstantial evidence acting with intent. Even though the evidence is circumstantial, jurors are much more likely to believe that the accused is guilty if they have a strong motive for committing the crime. However, in some cases where the defendant may have no clear motive, the criminal lawyer can point this out and convince the jury that they had no reason to commit the crime.

Crimes that do not require Intent

There are a few crimes that do not require the defendant to act with any intention of committing a crime. These crimes are enforced because the benefit of outlawing such actions outweighs the harm that an individual might incur by breaking these laws.

Statutory rape makes it illegal to have sex with a minor once you have reached a certain age. In some states it is illegal to have sex with a minor even if the defendant honestly believed that they were not a minor.

Driving felonies also require no criminal intent nor do DWIs.