The Doctrine of Lesser Included Offenses

This Article attempts to bring the early lesser included offense cases back to life, to uncover the origins and deeper logic of the doctrine, and to re-introduce the older, elegant solutions to the doctrine’s central problems back into current practice. With regard to the first part of State v. Workman’s two-pronged standard, this Article explores the innate wisdom of the classic elements test and a failed attempt to supplant it and then proposes changing it. With regard to the second prong, this Article proposes a wholesale replacement of the current formulation on the ground that it is fundamentally flawed. This proposed replacement is firmly based on a close and careful reading of the early cases that brings to light the true nature and purpose of the inquiry.