Discussion board :

Discuss the dilemma of inchoate offenses:

• • Whether to punish someone who has done no harm or to set free someone who is determined to commit a crime.
  • Which of the two is more important?
  • What is problematic about punishing someone who has begun to, but not actually finished, an offense such as homicide, rape, or mugging?

Investigate 3

Under the doctrine of vicarious liability, corporate leadership is sometimes responsible for the criminal activity of those who serve under them.

Assume that a corporation decides to dump tons of hazardous materials from their waste products into the local waterway. The dumping violates all laws and administrative agency standards and is done negligently. Eventually, after a series of unexplained deaths and lingering illnesses in the local community, the company’s actions are discovered.

Give a 6-8 sentence statement that answers the following questions:

Question 1.1. Who is liable? Is it the workers who secretly dumped the hazardous waste into the river? Is it the supervisors and managers of the employees who did the dumping? Or should liability be imposed on the corporate officers or even the president of the company?