principal (criminal law)

{{Short description|Actor primarily responsible for a crime}}

{{Criminal law}}

Under criminal law, a principal is any actor who is primarily responsible for a criminal offense.See, e.g., Superior Growers, 982 F.2d at 177-78; United States v. Campa, 679 F.2d 1006, 1013 (lst Cir. 1982). Such an actor is distinguished from others who may also be subject to criminal liability as accomplices, accessories or conspirators. In both GermanStrafgesetzbuch (StGB) § 25/1 Täterschaft and Turkish penal codes, "principal" is one of the three types of perpetration prescribed by law.{{Cite web |last=Öztürk |first=Mustafa Kağan |date= |title=Türk Ceza Kanunu’nda Bir İştirak Şekli Olarak Faillik (TCK m. 37) |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2837582 |publisher=Süleyman Demirel Law Review |page=260 |doi=10.52273/sduhfd..1220467}}

Some jurisdictions refer to a principal as defined above as a principal in the first degree. Such jurisdictions use the term principal in the second degree to mean someone who is present at the scene of the crime and who aids, abets, or encourages the commission of the crime with the required criminal intent.[https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/principal_in_the_second_degree Principal in the second degree], from Legal Information Institute