Capacidades y limitaciones para cometer delitos en California

Explicación Simple

Esta ley dice que no todas las personas pueden ser culpables de un crimen. Por ejemplo, los niños menores de 14 años o las personas que no están mentalmente bien no pueden ser juzgados igual que los adultos.

Es como cuando un niño pequeño rompe un juguete sin querer. No se le puede castigar como a un adulto que lo hace a propósito, porque no entiende que está mal.

Ejemplo Práctico

Imagina que Juan, un niño de 10 años, toma una galleta de la cocina sin pedir permiso. Si sus padres deciden castigarlo, no podrían hacerlo severamente porque Juan no entiende que está mal hacerlo sin preguntar. La ley protegería a Juan de una culpa excesiva.

Texto Original del Estatuto (Inglés)

Penal Code - PEN PART 1. OF CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS [25 - 680.4] ( Part 1 enacted 1872. ) TITLE 1. OF PERSONS LIABLE TO PUNISHMENT FOR CRIME [25 - 29.8] ( Title 1 enacted 1872. ) 26. All persons are capable of committing crimes except those belonging to the following classes: One—Children under the age of 14, in the absence of clear proof that at the time of committing the act charged against them, they knew its wrongfulness. Two—Persons who are mentally incapacitated. Three—Persons who committed the act or made the omission charged under an ignorance or mistake of fact, which disproves any criminal intent. Four—Persons who committed the act charged without being conscious thereof. Five—Persons who committed the act or made the omission charged through misfortune or by accident, when it appears that there was no evil design, intention, or culpable negligence. Six—Persons (unless the crime be punishable with death) who committed the act or made the omission charged under threats or menaces sufficient to show that they had reasonable cause to and did believe their lives would be endangered if they refused. (Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 31, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2008.)