The Complexity of Crime Classification in Establishment of Alternative and Indefinite Types of Intent

Abstract

The paper discusses the scientific and law enforcement aspects of understanding the types of intent in criminal law. The law enforcement and doctrinal features of alternative and indefinite types of intent and the problems associated with their establishment in the law of Russia and Belarus are considered. The paper analyzes the law enforcement practice and pressing issues of interpretation of the intentional form of guilt in accordance with the provisions of the current legislation of Russia and Belarus. The purpose of the paper is a rational and critical consideration of the provisions of the science of criminal law in relation to the question of the classification of criminal acts with an indefinite (unspecified) intent. The author concludes that when establishing the elements of an indefinite (unspecified) intent, the criminal act should be evaluated by the actual consequences. However, it is an inchoate offense that possesses the specifics of classification in this matter. Therefore, in such cases, it is necessary to establish the actual direction of the actions of the perpetrator, based on the objective situation of the act committed, the tools used, the means of committing the crime, the physical data of the victim and the accused, etc. The author proposes to pay attention to the following things in cases of crimes against life and health: the nature and method of utilizing the instrument of crime, its danger, the commission of actions that objectively pose a danger to human life; the intensity of damage, their localization, the possession of special skills and abilities to cause physical harm; the striking force of the impact, the physical data of the victim and the accused, the conscious nature of the guilty person’s behavior; the reasons for termination of criminal actions by the accused, his relationship with the victim on the eve of the crime, the subsequent behavior of the guilty and the victim. Research methods used in the paper are formal-dogmatic, comparative-legal, instrumental analysis. Scope of application: jurisprudence, law enforcement practice, lawmaking, lawmaking.