When looking at criminal law, it's important to understand the difference between criminal responsibility and criminal capacity. Both of these ideas are very important in legal cases.

Criminal Responsibility

Criminal responsibility is about whether someone can be held accountable for what they did. In simple terms, it answers the question: Can this person be punished for their actions? Generally, the law assumes that adults know right from wrong. So, if someone steals something, they can be prosecuted because it's believed they understood it was wrong and meant to do it.

Criminal Capacity

Criminal capacity is different. It looks at whether a person could understand what they were doing when they committed a crime. It takes into account things that could affect a person's ability to know right from wrong. For example, if someone does something illegal because they have a severe mental illness, they might not be seen as having criminal capacity.

Key Differences

1. Focus:

   • Criminal responsibility is about whether someone can be blamed by the law for their actions.
   • Criminal capacity is about a person's ability to understand their actions and the results of those actions.

2. Age and Mental State:

   • Young people often have less criminal responsibility because they might not fully understand the consequences of what they do.
   • People with mental illnesses may be checked for criminal capacity to see if they knew their actions were wrong.

Conclusion

Knowing the difference between these two ideas helps us understand how the justice system handles cases that involve different social and mental challenges. In short, criminal responsibility is about being accountable for actions, while criminal capacity is about a person's mental ability to understand their actions at the time they did them.