The defenses of excuse are those in which a defendant admits to having committed a criminally proscribed actusreus, and did so with mens rea, but asserts that circumstances surrounding the act render it justifiable under the law.

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The defenses of excuse are those where the defendant argues that some personal condition or circumstance at the time of the offense should exempt them from being held accountable for the act, not that the act was justifiable under the law. Justifications, not excuses, argue that the act was legally permissible.

The Defenses of Excuse Are Those in Which a Defendant