| Criminal defenses |
|---|
| Part of the common law series |
| Insanity · Immunity · Mental disorder Diminished responsibility Intoxication · Infancy Automatism · Alibi Consent · Mistake Duress · Necessity Provocation Self defense False confession · Entrapment |
| See also Criminal law and procedure |
| Other common law areas |
| Criminal · Contract · Tort Property wills · Trusts and estates Evidence |
| Portals |
| Law · Criminal justice |
Per minas, in British common law, to engage in behavior "by means of menaces or threats".[1]
The term comes from Latin.[2]
Per minas has been used as a defense of duress to certain crimes, as affecting the element of Mens rea.[3][4] William Blackstone, the often-cited Judge and Legal scholar, addressed the use of "duress per minas" under the category of self-defense as a means of securing the "right of personal security", that is, the right of self-defense.[5]
The classic case involves a person who is blackmailed into robbing a bank.
In Contract law, Blackstone used per minas to describe the defense of duress, as affecting the element of Contract intent, Mutual assent, or Meeting of the minds.[6][7]