Mitigating circumstances

Circumstances which make a particular criminal act less serious. These will result in a lighter sentence or penalty. Mitigating factors may include age and vulnerability of defendant or whether they felt under threat themselves.

Explanation attempts (128)

28 Oct 2012 19:45: Points in time wear that can confuse or distract from something happening
28 Oct 2012 22:30: That there maybe a way to make the crime seem less worse than it actually is.
29 Oct 2012 13:08: Something that excuses a persons acts. To do with their emotional state perhaps or current personal situation.
29 Oct 2012 18:33: conditions in law where one may be guilty of a crime but underlying reasons should be taken into account
29 Oct 2012 20:53: Issues that give reasons or the acts that were committed
30 Oct 2012 11:05: These are the circumstances used by a court to determine the culpability of someone.
30 Oct 2012 17:05: There may be some circumstances which may have made this person commit a crime, and may not have been entirely their fault.
30 Oct 2012 22:32: Circumstances which make a person's unlawful actions seem more understandable and might result in them being treated less harshly by the legal system.
31 Oct 2012 19:09: things that may allow the criminal to get off lightly
31 Oct 2012 22:06: Situation or things which might explain ones actions or behaviour, and make them more understandable
31 Oct 2012 22:52: A consideration to the defendant which may help their defence.
31 Oct 2012 23:16: Circumstances that may be taken into account to partially explain why an offence has been committed in an attempt to obtain leniency
1 Nov 2012 00:31: Circumstances that lead a person to be exempt from a particular rule or condition.
1 Nov 2012 13:22: Circumstances that explain why you might have done something you wouldn't do under normal circumstances.
1 Nov 2012 18:00: Special situations and circumstances that allow you to be exempt from doing something
20 Nov 2012 21:01: There were reasons to explain why this happened
20 Nov 2012 22:55: This is when someone has broken the law but there are reasons they did so which reduce the seriousness of their offense. These 'mitigating circumstances' can be explained during the court hearing and might change or reduce the sentence.
21 Nov 2012 00:06: Evidence that when looked on in a certain light, make a defendant appear guilty. There are holes in the evidence, but it could be enough for some people (maybe a jury) to deem a defendant guilty.
21 Nov 2012 00:36: Reasonable events or actions that made you act in the way you did.
21 Nov 2012 01:40: External factors which may be taken into account as partial justification for an offence, e.g. a "crime of passion", etc.
21 Nov 2012 01:43: Exceptional circumstances that significantly affect ones ability
21 Nov 2012 08:38: Circumstances where something that may not normally be allowed, can be in this instance.
21 Nov 2012 09:53: If a very serious situation arises which means that your behaviour or where you have to be can change. eg, a bereavement
21 Nov 2012 13:53: There are reasons why you have done what you have done, You have done it because you needed to for a reason.
21 Nov 2012 16:50: Circumstances which may have a bearing on the reasons why an act was committed, or go some way to justifying the act.
26 Nov 2012 21:05: That a specific event happened which means that usual course of action doesn't need to happen. E.g. Being ill is a mitigating circumstance which might mean that the usual deadline is extended.
12 Nov 2013 10:07: The same as the previous term. Circumstances which reduce the responsibility of a situation
14 Nov 2013 19:35: Not enough evidence.
14 Nov 2013 21:16: Circumstances in which supervision is required
14 Nov 2013 21:32: no evidence
14 Nov 2013 21:44: unusual circumstances that may affect the case
15 Nov 2013 11:37: There are other circumstances around an individual in their life which have directly affected the way they have behaved in this instance. These may be to do with their home life, work/or lack of; family pressures etc.
15 Nov 2013 12:21: An event that will negatively impact someone's ability to perform on a task such as an exam.
15 Nov 2013 13:49: The time and place in question puts bad look onto the situation.
16 Nov 2013 17:47: Events that may ease your penalty, or give some kind of explanation for your behaviour (i.e. mental health problem, bereavement).
16 Nov 2013 18:12: A reason for not being considered guilty of a given crime, e.g. insanity
17 Nov 2013 16:48: Mitigating circumstances is when an event takes place or something happens which directly effects something else.
17 Nov 2013 17:22: A form of circumstance
17 Nov 2013 18:50: kind of an exception which must be taken into account in court
17 Nov 2013 19:16: Something that influenced you action.
17 Nov 2013 22:52: Mitigating circumstances are other issues outside of the crime/ event which need to be considered as they have had a direct effect on the behaviour of the accused and therefore can affect both how they can be treated during prosecution and how they will be charged. The idea is that external problems such as illness or personal circumstance could have made someone more likely to commit a crime or made that crime more serious, and this should be kept in mind when judging how guilty the defendant is.
17 Nov 2013 23:55: special circumstances that may mean that you can be excused from the crime you have committed or the punishment you would receive would be lessened because of the circumstances surrounding you committing it
18 Nov 2013 15:23: certain circumstances which enable the outcome of a case to be less harsh on a person who is guilty.
18 Nov 2013 18:24: reduces the penalty or association with the charge
18 Nov 2013 19:33: Lessening circumstances
18 Nov 2013 20:00: Circumstances that may have affected the actions of the defendant eg they were ill,
18 Nov 2013 21:50: Circumstances that you put forward to explain actions
5 Nov 2014 13:00: Circumstances that have changed, so if you were in trouble this could be in your favour as an explanation for angry feelings or temper
5 Nov 2014 13:10: To have mitigating circumstances is where within contract it will have a clause that states that in situations beyond the parties control the contract will be invalid for such happenings
5 Nov 2014 19:08: Mitigating circumstances is when there is evidence or a situation that can cause problems for the verdict of a case to have a clear outcome.
7 Nov 2014 13:48: There is a reason why the event happened
8 Nov 2014 18:34: Factors which might affect the person's ability or knowledge about what crime they caused eg they might have a disability or lower mental capacity to fully understand their actions
9 Nov 2014 17:37: These are circumstances that may reduce the sentence of the defendant such as mental health issues.
9 Nov 2014 23:18: reasons why something might have happened which help to make it less serious than it is, eg if you had thrown a ball through a window a mitigating circumstance might have been that the sun was in your eyes so you couldn't see where the ball was going, ie you didn't mean to do it.
10 Nov 2014 11:57: personal circumstances
10 Nov 2014 15:52: Mitigating circumstances means situations that may have effect on an event.
10 Nov 2014 21:31: Unsure
10 Nov 2014 22:10: criminal evidence
10 Nov 2014 23:16: All things considered may provide a reason for the behaviour
11 Nov 2014 00:01: Can reduce a sentence or charge given to a person
11 Nov 2014 10:54: Circumstances that may have contributed to something happening or a course of action being taken
11 Nov 2014 12:40: Circumstances or evidence that may make you guilty
11 Nov 2014 15:08: It is information about the defendant which is taken into consideration when deciding a sentence.
11 Nov 2014 15:09: Considering circumstances. Who? what? why? and were? Then coming to the best conclusion to help your friends case.
28 Oct 2015 22:43: An unforeseen event happened that resulted in the subject being unable to carry out an activity.
29 Oct 2015 20:25: The situation is highly complex or awkward and therfore its hard to proceed with an investigation or hearing.
4 Nov 2015 20:55: There are factors that make the behaviour understandable.
6 Nov 2015 21:07: Can reduce sentences
7 Nov 2015 17:40: Circumstances surrounding a crime which will help explain the reasons the crime was commited.
10 Nov 2015 22:12: Circumstances that affect someone's performance in situations such as assesments. Similar to extenuating circumstances in terms of university e.g missing an exam due to sickness!
16 Nov 2015 16:23: The cicumstances of an event are conflicting depending on whose side of the argument you are given.
18 Nov 2015 20:44: An alibi used in defence
20 Nov 2015 13:10: Circumstances in which a criminal might not be convicted of an offence. For example a woman stealing food to feed her children or having a mental illness may be considered a mitigating circumstance.
22 Nov 2015 17:35: Circumstances which may lead to a more lenient sentence.
22 Nov 2015 20:47: circumstances or factors which help the situation and for you to be not guilty, e.g. illness, making the defendant less culpable
22 Nov 2015 21:45: Circumstances which explain and to some extent allow for someone's behaviour e.g self defence, mental illness. Mitigating circumstances could change murder to manslaughter
22 Nov 2015 23:17: Circumstances that would mean that you, as a witness, are exempt from doing certain things in a courtroom.
23 Nov 2015 09:48: Not sure - maybe circumstances that change the way something is done in court?
23 Nov 2015 12:07: reasons why something happened which could excuse you from whatever it is
8 Nov 2016 15:06: Something that is unforseen, such as an illness, that can disrupt your academic performance or progression.
8 Nov 2016 20:13: Circumstances that can disrupt what you are trying to do in a major way. For example if you were about to take an exam and somone in your family died, you would be excused for mitigating circumstances
8 Nov 2016 20:50: Factors which make someone less responsible for an offence or make their actions more justifiable
9 Nov 2016 19:31: Reasons that would effectively seek to justify or provide additional context behind why an individual has perpetrated an unlawful act.
10 Nov 2016 10:58: Conditions that our out of the persons control but might have had an influence on their behaviour.
11 Nov 2016 19:29: circumstances or actions that explain why an incident or situation occurred
13 Nov 2016 19:30: A situation that infers guilt.
13 Nov 2016 21:55: Unforseeable events which may lessen a sentence in a court of law
14 Nov 2016 19:30: when other circumstances e.g. mental illness/ pleading insane are taking into consideration when deciding your sentence
14 Nov 2016 22:22: When there is evidence to show something has implicated someone
18 Nov 2016 10:15: Factors that may have affected you from performing your best or that contributed to you not behaving in your usual manner,
31 Oct 2017 22:03: there are extenuating circumstances against the person being tried, which changes the outcome or consequences of their case e.g. mental health problems
7 Nov 2017 19:30: Reason (circumstance) why a case doesn't stand as valid in court.
7 Nov 2017 20:49: Something thag has not happened and something that cannot be prevented
12 Nov 2017 17:11: Unsure, but it may mean some kind of exceptional circumstance however I don't know what that would be in relation too
12 Nov 2017 18:13: Ways which reduce the severity of a case for the defendant.
12 Nov 2017 21:23: There may be circumstances/ reasons why an action may have happened which would provide a reasonable explanation.
12 Nov 2017 22:42: The issues around an event/action that determine or may have changed the outcome of a situation
12 Nov 2017 23:01: It's a reason/evidence to consider about why someone has done something, i.e. Lashing out in the heat of the moment when not in the right frame of mind/ thinking about it first.
13 Nov 2017 08:18: An excuse for a crime e.g. a crime of passion
13 Nov 2017 11:25: Changing the situation to twist it slightly.
19 Nov 2023 17:10: Something that can’t be helped, not your fault
20 Nov 2023 20:42: Situations that interfere or interrupt the legal process in a way that may not necessarily be negative but mean that consideration should be taken when dealing with the person in questions case.
21 Nov 2023 09:44: Circumstances that aren’t yet proven. Assumed circumstances.
21 Nov 2023 10:53: This is a situation that could affect the outcome of a case
21 Nov 2023 11:23: Some sort of factor that when considered, lessens the degree of severity of one’s actions
21 Nov 2023 15:09: Mitigating circumstances means that a person has what they consider to be a good reason or reasons for their actions.
21 Nov 2023 15:28: Something that has to be considered
21 Nov 2023 15:30: How you can help to lower the seriousness of the conviction
21 Nov 2023 16:31: Maybe when you have an exemption from a certain punishment
21 Nov 2023 21:41: Something that may effect a court case’s verdict
21 Nov 2023 21:47: Abnormal/Unusual circumstances (?)
21 Nov 2023 23:19: Circumstances that mean someone can’t attend a court hearing.
22 Nov 2023 02:51: A situation that forgives a criminal offense
22 Nov 2023 10:17: There are times when we react to things that have happened to us in a wrong way . If you are protecting another person against violence and hurt the offender or if someone is under the influence of drugs or alcohol
20 Oct 2024 17:59: Circumstances which may affect how culpable an individual is in a crime, and which may be taken into account when deciding whether someone is guilty or innocent. For example, someone with a learning disability may be less capable of defining a sense of right and wrong, and could therefore be given a less harsh punishment.
21 Oct 2024 14:43: I am unsure
22 Oct 2024 12:11: A piece of evidence or information that is relevant to the individual and may reduce their sentence.
22 Oct 2024 13:18: When a certain situation might explain why someone made a certain decision i.e stealing something because they have to money and are desperate
22 Oct 2024 20:55: That the person found themselves in circumstances that would put them in the position to face charges for wrong doing. Circumstances that place them or show their involvement in a crime.
22 Oct 2024 21:36: circumstances beyond the guilty parties control
22 Oct 2024 22:12: A reason for doing what they did - frightened, abused, protecting someone, defending themselves, ill/taking medication/ not taking medication
23 Oct 2024 07:58: Unforeseen circumstances that cause distress or disruption to a persons life
23 Oct 2024 10:54: Circumstances that could lead to something being affected.
27 Oct 2024 11:44: Couldn't prevent it.
5 Nov 2024 23:41: Situational factors that have impacted an individual, causing them to not have the same situation as the ‘average’ person. These factors should therefore be taken into consideration when judging this person
13 Nov 2024 17:21: The reason for the persons behaviour
13 Nov 2024 21:12: This is where there are circumstances that have led to a crime being committed. For example a person may have been a victim of domestic abuse for years and then killed their abuser.
20 Nov 2024 15:24: Exceptional circumstances which prove you are less guilty of a crime in the eyes of the law.

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