United States v. Bailey

585 F.2d 1087 (1978)

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United States v. Bailey

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
585 F.2d 1087 (1978)

Facts

Three prisoners (defendants) escaped from a federal jail. The prisoners were located and charged with the crime of escape. The prisoners testified that they had feared for their personal safety if they stayed in the jail because they had received beatings from the guards, they had not received adequate medical care, and the facility was a firetrap that had recently suffered multiple fires. The prisoners argued that because they had escaped only to preserve their personal safety, (1) the escape was justified as the lesser of two evils and (2) they had lacked the mens rea, i.e., criminal intent, to commit the crime of escape. At trial, the district court relied on the Lovercamp test. This test allowed a defendant to assert a necessity defense to a prison-escape charge only if the defendant (1) had faced immediate harm inside the prison, (2) could not get relief from prison officials, (3) could not get relief from the courts, (4) did not harm any innocent people while escaping, and (5) reported to officials once safe from the immediate threat. Because the three prisoners here had not reported to officials after escaping, the district court did not let the jury consider the prisoners’ necessity defense. The prisoners were convicted of the crime of escape. On appeal, the prisoners argued that the jury should have been allowed to consider their necessity defense.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Wright, C.J.)

Dissent (Wilkey, J.)

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