Self-Defense

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Description

Introduction:

Recall the recent case involving George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. The Francescani article provides more background on the facts leading up to that case. While Florida has a "stand your ground" law in effect, it was not the deciding factor in the Zimmerman case. Fla. Stat. § 776.01 states:

A person is justified in using force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against the other's imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if: (1) He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself / herself or another, or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony; or (2) Under those circumstances permitted pursuant to s. 776.013.

In Florida, there is no requirement or "duty to retreat" and a shooter may "stand their ground" when firing in self defense. But the duty to retreat was not an issue in the Zimmerman case because, as the defense argued, deadly force was used because Zimmerman "reasonably" believed it was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily injury. This rule is on par with almost every other state.

Based upon the recognition that a person has the right to repel an unlawful attack, self-defense generally requires that an accused establish that there was a good faith belief there was an imminent threat of harm, that force was necessary to repel the attack, and the force was reasonable under the circumstances. Deadly force can only be used to repel an attack that threatens great bodily harm or death.

Instructions:

  • Analyze the difference between the objective, reasonable person standard, and the subjective evaluation of a person who invokes a claim of self-defense, providing examples to support your findings.
  • Describe how those differences may become obscured depending upon the facts and circumstances of a particular case.
  • Explain potential challenges that could be faced by law enforcement when investigating crime where there is a claim of self-defense.
  • Standing in the shoes of a police officer, examine whether the validity of a self-defense assertion is something that you believe is appropriately determined at the law enforcement level.

Additional Instructions:

Create a 1 page essay in APA format according to the instructions above. Use 2 scholarly sources for references. Be sure to use in-text citations.

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Explanation & Answer

Attached.

Running head: GEORGE ZIMMERMAN AND TRAYVON MARTIN CASE

George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin Case
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

1

GEORGE ZIMMERMAN AND TRAYVON MARTIN CASE

2

George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin Case
Introduction
In the criminal law, an objective perspective implies that an individual’s mindset
is not important. What it looks at is how reasonable an individual would have acted under
similar circumstances. Therefore, in most cases, the objective standard is always
synonymous to the reasonable person perspective. In the criminal law thus the objective
standard perspective translates to self-defense and the case is always argued based on
whether a reasonable person would have feared for their life (Alvarez 2013). On the other
hand, a subjective perspective takes into consent an individual�...


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