4 ms·

In the US, most states have said that in a person to person sale, you are only committing a crime by buying stolen goods if you know the goods are stolen. But,

In the US, most states have said that in a person to person sale, you are only committing a crime by buying stolen goods if you know the goods are stolen. But, there are separate laws for commercial entities who deal in second hand goods (like pawn shops). They must do proper due diligence when buying goods or they will be held accountable if those goods turn out to be stolen. I would assume that financial firms should also be under extra scrutiny in the same way. But alas, our phony government has made it clear whose side they are on.

hellbanner 11y ago
Is that "Thought Crime"? Criminality dependent on internal mental state!
- netheril96 11y ago
  Criminality has been dependent on internal mental state since the dawn of time. Like when you kill a person, it ranges from self defense to manslaughter to murder (and maybe terrorism now). That is not what "thought crime" means.
- homonculus1 11y ago
  "Thought crime" is a poor description because it is not a thought being punished, but an action. You couldn't be punished just for thinking about stolen goods. Analyzing intent is important to differentiate between people who have likely already learned from their mistake, and those who are likely to exploit others in the future. Punishment is only necessary in the latter case.
- TeMPOraL 11y ago
  That's actually the only reasonable definition of crime in a perfect world. It's because we don't live in a perfect world that we must focus on acts instead of intentions.
- jeremysmyth 11y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_rea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_rea It's been an important part of law for a long time, although there's a tendency to explicitly avoid it in legislative efforts in the US since the '60s and the advent of MPC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_Penal_Code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_Penal_Code)

hellbanner 11y ago

Is that "Thought Crime"? Criminality dependent on internal mental state!

netheril96 11y ago
Criminality has been dependent on internal mental state since the dawn of time. Like when you kill a person, it ranges from self defense to manslaughter to murder (and maybe terrorism now). That is not what "thought crime" means.
homonculus1 11y ago
"Thought crime" is a poor description because it is not a thought being punished, but an action. You couldn't be punished just for thinking about stolen goods. Analyzing intent is important to differentiate between people who have likely already learned from their mistake, and those who are likely to exploit others in the future. Punishment is only necessary in the latter case.
TeMPOraL 11y ago
That's actually the only reasonable definition of crime in a perfect world. It's because we don't live in a perfect world that we must focus on acts instead of intentions.
jeremysmyth 11y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_rea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_rea It's been an important part of law for a long time, although there's a tendency to explicitly avoid it in legislative efforts in the US since the '60s and the advent of MPC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_Penal_Code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_Penal_Code)