The excuse provides a mitigating
factor for a group of persons sharing a common characteristic. Justification,
as in justifiable homicide, vindicates or shows the justice. Thus, society
approves of the purpose or motives underpinning some actions or the
consequences flowing from them, and distinguishes those where the behavior
cannot be approved but some excuse may be found in the characteristics of the
defendant, e.g. that the accused was a serving police officer or suffering from
a mental illness. Thus, a justification describes the quality of the act,
whereas an excuse relates to the status or capacity in the accused. These
factors can affect the resulting judgment which may be an acquittal, or in the
case of a conviction may mitigate sentencing.
