Riots: Legal Aspects - Introduction, Common Law, Statutory Riot Crimes, Related Statutory Offenses, The Federal Riot Act
DENIS BINDER
DAN M. KAHAN
DENIS BINDER
DAN M. KAHAN
Unlawful assembly. At common law an unlawful assembly was defined as a gathering together of three or more persons with the common intent to achieve a purpose, lawful or unlawful, in a riotous or tumultuous manner. The common purpose or intent could be formed either before assembling or after the gathering took place. A meeting could therefore start out as a lawful assembly but change into an unla…
The first statutory riot act was the famous British Riot Act (An Act for preventing Tumults and Riotous Assemblies and for the more speedy and effectual punishing the Rioters, 1 Geo. 1, Stat. 2, c. 5 (1714) (Great Britain) (repealed 1973)), according to which a justice of the peace or other officer, when confronted with an "unlawful, riotous, or tumultuous assembly," was to approach as close as sa…
Several statutory crimes exist that are offshoots of riot, including inciting riot, conspiracy to riot, failing to disperse upon command, and failing to render assistance upon lawful order. Under the British Riot Act, one who incited others to riot was guilty of simple riot, a felony with the same penalty as that attached to riot. Some jurisdictions make inciting to riot a felony, while treating s…
On April 10, 1968, Congress enacted the Riot Act of 1968, 18 U.S.C. ?? 2101, 2102 (1999), which made it a federal crime "to use any facility of interstate commerce to incite or participate in a riot." The federal act thus focuses on the individual who crosses a state line for the purpose of creating public disorder. One of the underlying assumptions was that outside agitators play a role in cau…
Casenote. "Criminal Law?Riot: What Constitutes." Oregon Law Review 18 (1939): 254?259. Comment. "The Michigan Revised Criminal Code and Offense against Public Order." Wayne Law Review 14 (1968): 986?1006. Comment. "Wisconsin's Disorderly Conduct Statute: Why It Should Be Changed." Wisconsin Law Review (1969): 602?626. Note. "California's Urging to Riot Law." San Diego Law Review 4 (1967): 118?140.…
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User Comments
over 3 years ago
Introduction on riots . What was the government action? How was the economic status?