Necessity

Necessity (as a term of jurisprudence) is a possible justification for breaking the law. Defendants who use this defense are arguing that they should not be held liable for a crime, since the actions taken were, for some reason or other, "necessary". In an early trial, for which this defense was used, Crown v. Dudly & Stephens[?] (late-1800s), two shipwrecked[?] sailors decided to eat a cabin boy[?]. The court ruled that cannibalizing the indidivual was not necessary; the sailors were found guilty of murder. Other courts have ruled, in cases where the eaten individual had died of "natural causes[?]" and starvation was an issue, that cannibalism was acceptable.