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Simple English definitions for legal terms
Model Penal Code (MPC)
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A quick definition of Model Penal Code (MPC):
The Model Penal Code (MPC) is a set of rules created by the American Legal Institute to help states make fair and consistent criminal laws. It has four parts, but the most important ones are the rules for deciding if someone did a crime and the rules for defining different crimes. The MPC also helps judges and lawyers understand what a person was thinking when they did a crime. Many states use the MPC to make their own laws.
A more thorough explanation:
The Model Penal Code (MPC) is a set of laws created by the American Legal Institute in 1962. It was designed to help states reform their criminal codes. Many states still use the MPC as a basis for their criminal laws.
The MPC is divided into four parts:
- General principles of liability
- Definitions of specific offenses
- Provisions governing treatment and correction
- Provisions governing the organization of corrections departments and divisions
The first two parts of the MPC are the most important. They define what actions are considered crimes and what mental state a person must have to be guilty of a crime. The third and fourth parts deal with how criminals should be punished and how prisons should be run.
For example, the MPC might define murder as intentionally killing another person. To be guilty of murder, a person must have intended to kill the victim. If the person accidentally killed the victim, they would not be guilty of murder under the MPC.
The MPC is important because it helps states create consistent criminal laws. It also helps ensure that people are only punished for actions they intended to commit.