Distraction and Negligence

14 Pages Posted: 8 May 2012

See all articles by Douglas Husak

Douglas Husak

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Department of Philosophy

Date Written: March 5, 2012

Abstract

I explore the conceptual and normative problems in deciding whether given criminal defendants are reckless or merely negligent. I focus on cases in which defendants create risks of which they allege they are consciously unaware because they are distracted at the moment harm occurs. Do these defendants believe they have created a risk? By what criterion should this question be answered? Is it the correct question to ask? I explore some of these uncertainties by contrasting cases of distraction from cases in which defendants create a risk they have forgotten they have created.

Suggested Citation

Husak, Douglas N., Distraction and Negligence (March 5, 2012). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2054955 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2054955

Douglas N. Husak (Contact Author)

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Department of Philosophy ( email )

106 Somerset Street, 5th Floor
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
United States

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