HOMICIDE

HOMICIDE

Homicide refers to one human killing another. Homicides can be divided into many overlapping legal categories, including murder, manslaughter (the crime of killing a human being without malice aforethought, or in circumstances not amounting to murder), justifiable homicide, killing in war, euthanasia (mercy killing/ practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering), and capital punishment, depending on the circumstances of the death. These different types of homicides are often treated very differently in human societies; some are considered crimes, while others are permitted or even ordered by the legal system.

Justifiable or Excusable Homicide

A homicide may be justifiable or excusable by the surrounding circumstances. In such cases, the homicide will not be considered a criminal act. A justifiable homicide is a homicide that is commanded or authorized by law. For instance, soldiers in a time of war may be commanded to kill enemy soldiers. Generally, such killings are considered justifiable homicide unless other circumstances suggest that they were not necessary or that they were not within the scope of the soldier’s duty. In addition, a public official is justified in carrying out a death sentence because the execution is commanded by State or Federal Law.

Excusable homicide is sometimes distinguished from justifiable homicide on the basis that it involvessome fault on the partof the person who ultimately uses deadly force. For instance, if a person provokes a fight and subsequently withdraws fromit but, out of necessity and in selfdefense, ultimately kills the other person, the homicide is sometimes classified as excusable, rather than justifiable. 

Criminal Homicide

Criminal homicide takes many forms including accidental or purposeful murder. The crime committed in a criminal homicide is determined by the mental state of the committing person and the extent of the crime. In many cases, homicide may be punished by life in prison or even capital punishment, but if the defendant in a capital case is sufficiently mentally disabled in mostly countries they cannot be executed. Instead, the individual is placed under the category of “insane”.

 

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