| FEDERAL STRIKE FORCES |
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| United States Attorneys' offices have federal strike forces. Such strike forces are called Organized Crime Strike Force Units (OCSFUS). The OCSFUS are responsible for supervising and prosecuting cases against criminal enterprises that operate in or that affect the United States. The Attorney General's Organized Crime Council identifies those criminal enterprises. The terms "organized crime" refer to criminal groups that engage in repeated illegal activities over an extended period of time within the United States.
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| NECESSITY AS A DEFENSE |
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| A necessity may be claimed as a defense when a defendant reasonably believed that his or her criminal act was immediately necessary to avoid imminent harm. The reasonableness of the defendant's act and the harm that was sought to be avoided by the defendant are the essential elements of the defense. The defendant must show that the harm that he or she sought to avoid was greater than the harm that was committed by his or her criminal act. In other words, the defendant must show that he or she was attempting to achieve a "greater good." More... |
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| JURY INSTRUCTIONS ON REASONABLE DOUBT |
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| A defendant cannot be convicted of a crime unless the prosecution proves that the defendant committed the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. The standard of beyond a reasonable doubt is a constitutional requirement of due process. The United States Constitution does not require a trial court to instruct a jury on the definition of reasonable doubt. However, the Constitution does not prohibit a trial court from providing a jury with a definition of reasonable doubt. More... |
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| FEDERAL LAWS REGARDING HOSTAGE-TAKING |
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| Although the policy of the federal government is that most hostage-taking offenses within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States should be handled by state and local authorities, there are situations in which the federal government may be involved in prosecuting such offenses. These situations include the taking of a federal official or an international guest as a hostage, a demand against the United States regarding the hostage-taking, or when international terrorists are the perpetrators. More... |
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| ABUSE OF PUBLIC OFFICE & MISUSE OF OFFICIAL INFORMATION |
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| A public servant commits the offense of abuse of public office when he or she intentionally or knowingly and with the intent to obtain a personal benefit violates a law regarding his or her office or misuses government property, services, personnel, or anything of value, which has come into his or her possession by virtue of his or her office or employment. The word "misuse" means to deal with property contrary to any agreement, any contract, or any law. More... |
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