Manslaughter

Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of a person without the legal elements that make the killing murder. Its definitions and degrees vary by jurisdiction.

Murder: Murder is an unlawful killing classified as more culpable because it includes legally specified elements such as malice or intent. Manslaughter lacks one or more elements that elevate an unlawful killing to murder.
Mens rea: Mens rea is the mental state required for criminal liability, such as intent, knowledge, recklessness, or negligence. Different mental states distinguish manslaughter forms and separate them from murder.
Vehicular manslaughter: Vehicular manslaughter is an unlawful killing caused by the operation of a vehicle, with definitions varying by jurisdiction. It applies manslaughter principles to deaths caused by driving conduct.
Criminal sentencing: Criminal sentencing is the process by which courts impose penalties after a criminal conviction. Manslaughter's degree and circumstances influence the sentence imposed.
Justifiable homicide: Justifiable homicide is a killing the law permits under specified circumstances, such as lawful self-defense. Unlike manslaughter, a legally justified killing is not an unlawful homicide.
Causation in law: Causation in law connects a defendant's conduct to a prohibited result under rules of factual and legal causation. A manslaughter conviction requires the killing to be legally attributable to the defendant.
Heat of passion: Heat of passion is a legally recognized state of intense emotion that may mitigate an intentional killing in some jurisdictions. It is a common framework for reducing murder to voluntary manslaughter.
Homicide: Homicide is the killing of one person by another, whether lawful or unlawful. Manslaughter is one legal classification within the broader phenomenon of homicide.
Criminal negligence: Criminal negligence is a serious departure from reasonable care that creates a legally recognized risk of harm. Some involuntary manslaughter laws require proof of this degree of culpability.
Voluntary manslaughter: Voluntary manslaughter is an intentional unlawful killing mitigated by circumstances recognized by a jurisdiction, often including legally adequate provocation. It is a principal form distinguished from involuntary manslaughter by an intentional killing.

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Contract killingCompared with: A planned killing for promised payment ordinarily differs from the circumstances that reduce murder to manslaughter.