@article{oai:niigata-u.repo.nii.ac.jp:02000229, author = {Mousourakis, George}, issue = {2}, journal = {法政理論}, month = {Dec}, note = {Although penal statutes differ considerably from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, it is nevertheless possible to discover on a doctrinal level significant similarities among diverse criminal justice systems, especially systems of countries belonging to the same legal family. England, New Zealand, and other common law jurisdictions have traditionally followed a bipartite structure of crime, distinguishing between objective (actus reus) and subjective (mens rea) aspects of offence definitions. While in paradigmatic cases criminal conduct will involve bodily movements, there are certain situations where liability may also arise from an omission or failure to act. Furthermore, a distinction is traditionally drawn between conduct crimes and result crimes. A conduct crime prohibits certain conduct regardless of its consequences; a result crime makes liability dependent on the consequences that flow from the accused's conduct. To establish liability for a result crime, it is required that the prosecution demonstrates a causal link between the accused's conduct (act or omission) and the prohibited result. This paper discusses doctrinal aspects of the law relating to causation and criminal omissions in New Zealand, with particular emphasis being placed on the issue of criminal responsibility for medical negligence. The analysis of substantive law includes consideration of the subjective and objective requirements for criminal liability as expressed in relevant legislative enactments and judicial decisions, as well as a number of practical and policy problems. The references to leading common law authorities, mainly from English law, add a useful dimension to the discussion of the issues. It is hoped that the present paper will be of value to scholars and legal professionals interested in the fields of criminal law theory, comparative criminal law, and medical criminal law.}, pages = {1--39}, title = {Causation, Criminal Omissions and Medical Negligence : Some Doctrinal and Policy Aspects of a Common Law Approach}, volume = {54}, year = {2021} }