All modern legislative systems in Europe and parts of Asia are for the most part rooted directly in the Roman Empire. It was there that a simple and understandable phrase was recorded: "Ignorance of the law does not exempt from liability." Latin in this regard was considered an ideal language, which allowed to formulate thoughts concisely and clearly. The Roman Empire at one time was the greatest power that existed for a huge amount of time. In its territory, it surpassed any other country in the world and of all of them was considered the most cultural. At least the citizens of the empire themselves. Among other things, in this state was extremely developed legal system covering most areas of human activity.
Meaning
Not all people understand the main meaning of the phrase "ignorance of laws does not exempt from liability." Its meaning is relatively simple, although it may seem strange to certain groups of the population. So, it is understood that a person is obliged to understand the law. Even if he does not know anything, this is not at all the reason for his innocence. For example, a person may not know that smoking in a public place is prohibited. But at the same time, if he is caught, he should still be fully responsible for his actions.
Legislation
The article "Ignorance of the law does not exempt from liability" as such does not exist. Nevertheless, this is based on some norms. For example, article 19 of the Constitution of Russia, if you carefully read it, has just such a meaning. In general, similar information can be found in other legislative documents. Nevertheless, the phrase cannot be found in its original form. Unless, if you study the documents of Ancient Rome, in which it was written as Ignorantia juris non excūsat, ignoratio facti excūsat.
It should be noted that modern legislation takes into account those people who, for one reason or another, in principle, are not able to answer for their actions. This is true for mentally ill, young children, and so on. That is, to all groups of the population who do not really understand what is happening and what they are to blame for. But now, if a person is fully capable, she will respond to the full extent of the law. It is understood that such a person has at least a theoretical opportunity to study all the requirements set by society, and that he did not do this is exclusively his problem.
Precedents
In practice, no court takes into account the fact that a person simply did not know anything. Ignorance of the law does not exempt from liability - this is the main factor taken into account in such situations. This means that even a citizen who has committed an offense, no matter what he is guided by, is still obliged to be punished. No one cares if he understood what awaits him for such a crime or not. In some cases, certain categories of errors are attempted to be anticipated with the help of warning signs. This is true for driving. Another example is the smoking ban icons, which are located where possible. Thus, so that the question does not arise: “Why ignorance of laws does not exempt from responsibility?”, The state is trying to hang up various alerts wherever possible.
If it were different
This expression has arisen for a reason. Throughout its history, mankind has been modifying the law, trying to optimize it and bring it to those indicators that would be convenient for everyone.As a result, at different times there were a variety of reward and punishment systems. For example, in ancient times it was considered normal to pronounce a sentence on an animal, stone or tree. Legislation has gradually improved and ultimately led to the state in which they are currently. If the opposite system were used, and a person who does not know the law would be freed from responsibility, society would quickly slide into chaos. Thus, a system in which ignorance of the law does not exempt from responsibility is currently the most effective of all invented by mankind.
Example
You can give a fairly simple and understandable example. Suppose a person does not know that you can’t take food in the store and not pay for it. He just came, took and left. This is a violation of the law, but since he does not know about it, this person does not bear any responsibility. As a result, the store went broke. But in the case when ignorance of the law does not exempt from responsibility, in the same situation a person would be considered a thief. It doesn’t matter if he really didn’t know all this or whether he hid it well. By the way, the moment of lies is also very important in this case. That is, instead of guessing each time whether a person really knows something or just pretends to be such, by default it is considered that he understands the law. Even the most advanced lie detectors do not give a 100% guaranteed result, and therefore this approach is justified.
Total
Ignorance of the law does not exempt from responsibility - this is the main principle of almost all currently existing systems that ensure the stability of society. It is in one way or another found in all countries, starting from the times of Ancient Rome. Until a more effective and thought-out legislative system is invented, this principle will continue to exist. It must be remembered that for any person it is important to have at least a basic understanding of those legislative norms that concern him personally. There are actually not so many of them, any adequate and normal person at the subconscious level already knows exactly how and in which situations it is possible or impossible to act. In any case, a detailed understanding of laws can make life much easier, help you feel right in certain situations, and so on. If a person can at any time refer to a particular point of the law, it is extremely difficult to deceive.
