des criminal involvement; principals are main actors and accessories are secondary parties. Liability is based on the role and presence at the time of commission. There may be more than one principal; a jurisdiction may view all principles as equally responsible or it may acknowledge a principal in the first degree, second degree or third degree. Accessories are broken down to those before the fact, at the fact, and after the fact. Classifications of principals and accessories apply only in felony cases. Statute has changed this classification in many states; all involved are a single class, however a wide range of punishments is available. Chapter 6
"The Basic Elements (Requirements) of Crime." Elements of a crime are found in the corpus delicti of the crime (body of crime). The victim's body in a murder may not be required to prove the murder took place (corpus delicti). The corpus delicti rule states that out-of-court confessions are not admissible as court
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