Can a person be punished for attempting to commit a crime?
Many jurisdictions have either a general “attempt” crime or individual statutes that make attempted murder or attempted robbery (or the like) a crime. The purpose of these statutes is to punish an individual who has shown himself or herself to be dangerously inclined to commit a crime without waiting until the criminal act is actually completed. In order to convict a person for an attempted crime, the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person had the intent to do an act or bring about certain consequences that would amount to a crime, and that he or she took some step beyond mere preparation towards that goal.
