Crime Parties

Parties to a Crime

Introduction to Crime Parties

Criminal law distinguishes levels of responsibility based on the individual’s degree of involvement in the crime. A person who enters the bank, aims a gun at the teller, and asks for all the money is classified differently than the person who later hides the bank robber from the police. The common law identifies four basic types of parties to criminal conduct: (1) a principal in the first degree, (2) a principal in the second degree, (3) an accessory before the fact, and (4) an accessory after the fact.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Crime Parties in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Crime Parties

In this Section

Criminal Law Elements (including Wrongful Act and Mental Fault), Defenses to Crimes (including Insanity, Age, Intoxication, Duress, Mistake, Self-Defense and Entrapment) and Crime Parties (including Principals

and Accessories).