Throughout the history of criminal law in the United States, the issue of felony murder rule has always been an extremely controversial and debatable matter. I am personally against the felony murder rule. In simple words, the rule indicates that "a murder that occurs during the course of a felony" is recognized and punished as an actual murder (Lippman, 2016). On the other hand, individuals advocating the felony murder rule assert that it deters delinquents and homicidally inclined individuals from commiting serious crimes. On the other hand, the most wide-spread argument against the felony murder rule is that it separates criminal liability from punishability (Crump , 2009, p. 1158). Another fundamental point in opposition to this rule is the statement that it does not serve positive goals. What is more, critics argue that the punishment resulting from the felony-murder rule does not always fit the crime.
One of the most prominent cases associated with the felony murder rule is the People v. Stamp case. The defendants were convicted of a felony murder, which, actually, occured to the fatal heart seizure of one of the hostages. Nevertheless, in accordance with felony murder doctrine, the defendants "were found guilty of first-degree robbery and first-degree murder" and were sentenced to imprisonment for life (Superior Court of Los Angeles, 1969). Taking into consideration the unjust sentence in the People v. Stamp case, I reaffirm my possition of being against the felony murder rule. In my opinion, it is simply unjust that individuals, even thought they are criminals, are punished for situations, sequence of events, and circumstances beyond their control. More importantly, the statistical data from numerous researches proves that the felony murder doctrine cannot promote the principal objectives of the criminal law and the system of justice, such as deterrence (Crump, 2009, p. 1160). In other words, the felony murder rule can be determined as an uneffective means of crime prevention and deterrence and, therefore, does not serve its fundamental purpose.
References
Crump, D. (2009). Reconsidering the Felony Murder Rule in Light Oof Modern Criticisms: Doesn’t the Conclusion Depend upon the Particular rule at Issue? Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, 32(3), 1155-1185.
Lippman, M. R. (2016). Contemporary criminal law: Concepts, cases, and controversies (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
People v. Stamp, 82 Cal.Rptr. 598 (Superior Court of Los Angeles, CA 1969).
