Reasonable Person Test
General Principles
The "reasonable person test" is standard to be applied when considering a number of offences:
- Uttering Threats (Offence)
- Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle (Offence)
- Robbery (Offence)
- Reasonable Apprehension of Bias
- Exclusion of Evidence Under Section 24(2) of the Charter
- Grounds for Detention
A reasonable person is one who is:
- "reasonable, informed, practical and realistic" who "consider the matter in some detail"[1]
- the person is not a "very sensitive or scrupulous" person, but is "right-minded"[2]
- dispassionate and fully apprised of the case[3]
- ↑ R v RDS, 1997 CanLII 324 (SCC), [1997] 3 SCR 484 (SCC), per Cory J
- ↑
RDS, ibid.
- ↑
R v Collins, 1987 CanLII 84 (SCC), [1987] 1 SCR 265 (SCC), per Lamer J, at p. 282
R v Burlingham, 1995 CanLII 88 (SCC), [1995] 2 SCR 206 (SCC), per Iacobucci J, at para 71
"The Public"
A similar style of test applied in criminal law concern an assessment of the opinion of the "public" of the potential disposition. Those include:
Context-Based Reasonableness
There is a difference between "contextualizing" an objective standard and individualizing the standard to suit the accused.[1]
- Diminished Intelligence
A diminished level of intelligence or diminished mental capacity can be taking into account in "the application of the reasonableness standard in criminal cases."[2]
- ↑
R v Tran, 2010 SCC 58 (CanLII), [2010] 3 SCR 350, per Charron J, at para 35
- ↑ R v Richter, 2014 BCCA 244 (CanLII), 314 CCC (3d) 543, per Willcock JA, at para 43
See Also
- Exclusion of Evidence Under Section 24(2) of the Charter - requiring consideration of the "reasonable person"
- Aggravating and Mitigating Factors#Prohibited Factors - much of sentencing is guided by the judge looking at the offence from a reasonable person perspective