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NeCede's

Maxim 7.1.17

It is the crime which causes the shame, and not the scaffold.

C'est le crime qui fait la honte, et non pas l'echafaud.

Source: Bouvier's Law Dictionary Difficulty 1/5 — Foundational

Explanation

Disgrace attaches to the criminal act itself, not to the punishment that follows — the wrongdoer bears the shame regardless of whether he is caught.

Where this applies

  • A person is ashamed of being caught, not of the crime itself.
  • The punishment is not what brings disgrace — the criminal act does.

Legal domains

criminal

Cite this maxim

NeCede Max. 7.1.17 — It is the crime which causes the shame, and not the scaffold. — Bouvier's Law Dictionary (C'est le crime qui fait la honte, et non pas l'echafaud.)

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