The criminalization of lying: under what circumstances, if any, should lies be made criminal?

This Article argues that lying should be a crime. In doing so, we propose the creation of a wholly new category of crime, which we term “egregious lying causing serious harm.” The Article has two broad objectives: the first is to make the case why such a crime should even exist, and the second is to...

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Published in:Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology Vol. 101; no. 2; pp. 529 - 574
Main Authors: Druzin, Bryan H., Li, Jessica
Format: Article
Published: Northwestern University Spring2011
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: The criminalization of lying: under what circumstances, if any, should lies be made criminal?
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          Druzin, Bryan H.
          Li, Jessica
      su:
        Truthfulness & falsehood
        Criminal justice system
        Crime
        Law
      sug:
        subj:
          Truthfulness & falsehood
          Criminal justice system
          Crime
          Law
      ab: This Article argues that lying should be a crime. In doing so, we propose the creation of a wholly new category of crime, which we term “egregious lying causing serious harm.” The Article has two broad objectives: the first is to make the case why such a crime should even exist, and the second is to flesh out how this crime might be constructed. The main contribution of the Article lies in the radical nature of its stated aim: the outright criminalization of certain kinds of lies. To our knowledge, such a proposal has not previously been made. The analysis also contributes to a broader discussion regarding the issue of overcriminalization. We conclude that while criminalizing certain forms of lies might at first blush appear fanciful, the case for doing so is not only plausible, it is indeed necessary. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
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    language: English
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