Excerpt from the Alabama Criminal Code

    S 13A.1-8 
ALABAMA CRIMINAL CoDE s 13A.1.9s r3A'1'g' procedurar matters; civir liabirities not affected by tire.(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, the procedure governing the,l}i:iffi 

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(b) This titre does not bar, suspend or otherwise restrict any right or riab,itvto damages' penarty,. ro"teit-rrJ or Jir,., remedy 
"rirr""ir.a by law ,o b!recovered or enforced. in 

" .iu, r.t[r, regardless oi'*iuti,u, the conductiil: r"r',]'l lH j 
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S lgA-l.g Commentary

::f;liilfiilji::::i1l1ffi.1T::T:;,::1'" Acts or omissions to which a pecuniary
offenses. s r-1-6. vv o' iluLroD Dy a person for his own use are not public

At present, m.st of the Alabama Iaw on .riTirSr procedure is contained in Tit. 15.
subsection (a) is intendea.to .a-tJft ;# "rnu, ,n"-r.o"i.i.*."iirre criminar code
generailv are concernea onrv witr,'i,-,. *[.Llrir. i;ffi;l]#.Jj ;. not affect orher
rules and principles or pteajing,-;"driclHlt 

ana appettate practice.
Cross References:

S 1-1-6, Certain acts r

Tit. 1s, Criminat ,rrillli.ions not public offenses.

S IsA-r-g. Lesser included offenses. , ..ti,

"l?flt tl':ftx,..I3'"ff .',",1#Tl.ii "' orrense incruded in an orrense I

(1) It is established l, o;;;f;rt.l"ru or{ewerthan a, the facts requiredto establish the commisrion or-tt"'iir.n.. charged; or 
thefactsrequired

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.r9i:l'":pecificallv ;;;;;;;;#iv'Jirtrt. as a resser degree of the offense

it!1r'ilffi:li:i:li:1f:::ffl::gonrv in the respect that a ress serious
I e s s er k i n d o r c u r oa u iii ty,-G;;' ;,'!fi lfi ,Xiii." :tJ,T [:[X: 

in teres ts,- o rl
(b) The court shair.'"i4G"il"]fi.with 

.especf io'in'in.ruded offense
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_section is adapted jlT *;:,::ffi;:! 1,07,_Ne1v Jersey penar code
s 2C:1-?(d), MichiEan Revised a.ili;;i.i;e s r;o(a) U irl..lr 1s an affirmativeauthorization ro convict 

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offenses within.il:'E?H,'#'t:r"m:r'J:;:il':nrffi*xr';ggti;ogBand,slz, 
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s 13A-1-9

by title.

governing the
'rs and offenses

right or liabilitvtbylawtobl
rer the conduct
title. (Acts 197?,

lhich a pecuniary
r!i€ Er€ not public

ttined in Tit. 15.
r Criminal Code
not affect other

in an offense

facts required

ittnss sh2p*.6

'1'the offense

a less serious
interests, or a

l,rded offense
ndant of the

,,1'Penal Code
,rr affirmative
ffenses within
'-:l and l&17-1.

s 13A-1-10 GENERAL PROVISIONS s 13A-1-10

(1) Subdivision (axl) provides that a lesser offense is necessarily included in a charge

of the grealer offense if the proof necessary to establish the greater offense will of

necessity establish 
"uu.f "i.tn"nt 

of the lessei offense. This is the majority view' Model

Ferat Coae (Tent. Draft No. 5), pp' 40-41 (1956)'

(2) subdivision (a)(2) provides that an attempt or solicitation to commit the offense

charged or to commit 
",ivl".i"aua 

offense is an included offense' Thus, on a charge of

theft the evidence may ratt short of proving an unauthorized exercise of control over the

;'il;;1r:e., a.po.t lion, ot takini and carrying away under comm:n law) but it does

prove defendant atte.npied to do sJ, or soliciied another to do so, and, thus, he may be

found guilty ot att"mpied theft or criminal solicitation to commit theft' See Chapter 4'

Inchoate crimes. Alabama follows the view that if the evidence shows the alleged offense

was actually committed, ir,"r" i, no authority to convict of an attempt to commit such

offense. Edwards ". 
St"t", iS Ala. App. 386;34 So.2d 1?3 (19a8); DeGraff v' State' 34

er". epplsz, 3? So.2d rg0 i1948); C".t run u. 34t., 42 Ala. App. 144, t55 So.2d 530 (1963)'

But by statute in many slates, there can be a conviction of an attempt though the evidence

shows that the completed crime has been committed. LaFave and Scott, criminal Law'

452 (t972).

(B) Subdivision (aX3) covers a degree relationship in the statutes themselves' €'9''

second-degree theft o, u .f,urg" of flrst-degree thefi. This is important as the Criminal

Code typically defines ;; ;;. crime andlhen divides it into degrees' Cf' Thomas v'

State, 26? Ala. 44,100 So.2d 329 (1958).

(4) subdivision (ax4) covers two situations. The first is where the offense proved

differs from the offense-charged only in that it requires a lesser degree of culpability,

e.g., manslaughter under s ise-o-s- (reckless killing) on a charge of murder under

S 1gA-6-2 (intentionat tlffLgl-fh" second is the case where the offense proved ai!!9r1

from the offense .t urg"J ont in tf,rt less serious injury or risk is^necessary to establish

its commissio n, €.g.,assault in the first or second degree, s 13A-6-20 or s 13A-6-21, under

an indictment chargingmurder. cf. Keel v. state, 29 Ala' 191, 194 So' 416 (1940); weldon

v. State, 50 Ala. Lpp.477,280 So'2d 183 (1973)'

Subsection (b) states that the court shall not charge the jury on an included offense

unless there is a rational basis for doing so, Accord: Weldon, supra. For example, on the

state,s theory of ,nrrra", U".ause the tromiciae occurred during robbery (felony-murder)'

the only important i..ul Inrv be the idelti-tv of the robber and the evidence is such as

if,. iri, should 
"itf,"r "o*ici 

or acquit defendant, and it would be improper to instruct

that manslaughter is 
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po..iur" u.rdi.t. Again, the evidence may show no robbery but

;fin p;;;; an inlawful hi*i.ia" of a lesser d"gr"", e.g., manslaughter by reckless killing,

in which case an inrtru.ii* on the lesser offense would be proper. And see Powers v'

state, 49 Ala. 690, 275 so.2d 369 (19?3) (prosecution possession of marijuana' a-felony,

includes lesser offens" of por."..ion ior personal use, a misdemeanor, and failure to

charge on lesser offense error)'

Cross References:

AttemPts, ChaPter 4.

Criminal Solicitation, ChaPter 4'

slsA.l.lo.Pendingproceedings,rightsandliabilitiesnotaffected.

All proceedings pending and all rights and liabilities existing, acquired. or

incurrcd on May l?, 19?8 are hcreby saved and mily be con.cummated according

to the law in force when they were commenced. This title shall not be construed