LEGAL PRINCIPLE: CRIMINAL LAW – Common Intention – Liability for Joint Acts

Common intention doctrine makes all participants in joint criminal enterprise liable for acts done in furtherance of their shared purpose. Requirements: (1) Multiple persons (two or more); (2) Common intention—shared criminal purpose formed before or during the offense; (3) Criminal act done in furtherance of that intention; (4) Each participant liable as if they personally committed the act. This doctrine extends liability beyond actual perpetrators to: co-conspirators present during commission, those encouraging or assisting, and participants in the joint enterprise even if they didn’t personally commit the actus reus. Each participant bears full liability—not partial or reduced—as if they alone committed the offense. This serves: holding all participants accountable for joint criminal conduct, preventing participants from escaping liability by attributing acts to co-participants, and recognizing that joint criminal enterprises are collective endeavors. However, liability is limited to acts within the common intention’s scope—unexpected excessive acts by one participant may not bind others.