Crimes against Persons
Crimes against persons refer to criminal offenses that directly harm or threaten an individual’s physical safety, well-being, or life. These crimes are typically found in Title Eight of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines (Articles 246 to 266-B).
Types of Crimes Against Persons:
1. Parricide (Art. 246, RPC) is the killing of a person who is a spouse, ascendant, descendant, or legitimate child of the offender. It is a special category of homicide with more severe penalties due to the familial relationship between the offender and the victim.
• Example: A husband who kills his wife or a parent who kills their child is liable for parricide.
2. Murder (Art. 248, RPC) is the unlawful killing of a person with qualifying circumstances like treachery, evident premeditation, or cruelty, which distinguish it from homicide. It carries more severe penalties due to these aggravating circumstances.
• Example: Killing someone by shooting them from behind, without warning (treachery), qualifies as murder.
3. Homicide (Art. 249, RPC) is the unlawful killing of a person without qualifying circumstances like those found in murder or parricide. It is punished less severely than murder but still involves the deliberate taking of life.
• Example: Killing someone in a heated altercation without premeditation may be considered homicide.
4. Infanticide (Art. 255, RPC) involves the killing of a child less than three days old. This crime acknowledges the potential psychological and emotional vulnerability of the mother immediately after childbirth.
• Example: A mother who kills her newborn child shortly after birth could be prosecuted for infanticide.
5. Abortion (Arts. 256-259, RPC) refers to the intentional termination of a pregnancy. Depending on who performs the act (the pregnant woman, a third party with or without her consent), different forms of abortion (intentional, unintentional, or by means of violence) are recognized and penalized.
• Example: A third party performing an abortion on a woman without her consent is criminally liable under the RPC.
6. Physical Injuries (Arts. 262-266-B, RPC) refer to crimes that cause bodily harm to another person without necessarily resulting in death. These range from slight to serious physical injuries and include acts like mutilation or disfigurement.
• Example: Hitting someone in a way that causes lasting injury, like the loss of a limb, would be considered serious physical injury.
7. Rape (Art. 266-A to 266-B, RPC) is a crime against a person’s dignity and physical integrity, involving sexual intercourse or any other sexual act performed against a person’s will, through force, threat, or intimidation. Under certain circumstances, it can also involve statutory rape.
• Example: Forced sexual intercourse without consent or by means of physical violence is prosecuted as rape.
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Key Elements in Crimes Against Persons: (UMT)
• Unlawful aggression or the use of force.
• Malice or intent to cause harm.
• The direct injury or death of the victim.
Significance:
Crimes against persons are heavily punished because they violate an individual’s fundamental rights to life, bodily integrity, and dignity. The law distinguishes between different degrees of these crimes based on intent, the presence of aggravating or mitigating circumstances, and the relationship between the offender and the victim.
In court, these crimes often involve complex considerations of intent, premeditation, and self-defense claims, requiring substantial evidence to establish the extent of culpability.