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Lawful excuse

Not all homicides are crimes, or subject to criminal prosecution. Some are legally privileged, meaning that they are not criminal acts at all. Others may occur under circumstances that provide the defendant with a full or partial defense to criminal prosecution. Common defenses include:

The availability of defenses to a criminal charge following a homicide may affect the homicide rate. For example, it has been suggested that the availability of " stand your ground " defense has resulted in an increase in the homicide rate in U.S. jurisdictions that recognize the defense, including Florida.