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What is a felo de se
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"Felo de se" is a Latin phrase meaning "felon of himself." Historically in English common law it was the legal designation for a person who committed suicide.
Key points
- Origin/meaning: Latin; literally someone who is a felon by killing himself.
- Historical legal effects: Suicide was treated as a felony. A coroner’s inquest could return a verdict of "felo de se," which often brought harsh consequences — denial of a Christian burial, burial at a lonely place (traditionally crossroads) and forfeiture of the deceased’s personal property to the sovereign. Because of these consequences, juries often returned a verdict of "non compos mentis" (not of sound mind) instead, which avoided the penalties.
- Modern law: The criminalization and penalties for suicide have been abolished in many jurisdictions. For example, suicide was decriminalized in England and Wales by the Suicide Act 1961. Today "felo de se" is largely a historical term; coroner’s conclusions and estate law no longer carry the old punishments in most modern legal systems. Some countries still have laws criminalizing attempted suicide, but the trend internationally has been toward decriminalization and treating suicide as a public-health/mental-health issue rather than a crime.
If you want, I can give a short timeline of how the treatment of suicide changed in a particular country or explain related terms like "non compos mentis."
Key points
- Origin/meaning: Latin; literally someone who is a felon by killing himself.
- Historical legal effects: Suicide was treated as a felony. A coroner’s inquest could return a verdict of "felo de se," which often brought harsh consequences — denial of a Christian burial, burial at a lonely place (traditionally crossroads) and forfeiture of the deceased’s personal property to the sovereign. Because of these consequences, juries often returned a verdict of "non compos mentis" (not of sound mind) instead, which avoided the penalties.
- Modern law: The criminalization and penalties for suicide have been abolished in many jurisdictions. For example, suicide was decriminalized in England and Wales by the Suicide Act 1961. Today "felo de se" is largely a historical term; coroner’s conclusions and estate law no longer carry the old punishments in most modern legal systems. Some countries still have laws criminalizing attempted suicide, but the trend internationally has been toward decriminalization and treating suicide as a public-health/mental-health issue rather than a crime.
If you want, I can give a short timeline of how the treatment of suicide changed in a particular country or explain related terms like "non compos mentis."
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