刑事辩护制度是西方法或西方法律传统的产物,其渊源可以追溯到古罗马共和国时期。刑事辩护制度是现代法治国家法律制度的重要组成部分,作为一项法律制度,它反映了一个国家对司法公正和诉讼民主的追求。美国的刑事辩护制度以权利本位为基础,它确认和维护被告人辩护权,被告人既可以自行行使辩护权,也可以委托他人代为行使,既可以聘任或者接受他人为自己进行辩护,也可以拒绝辩护。本文拟对美国刑法中的刑事辩护事由(Criminal Defenses)做一简要论述,旨在抛砖引玉。根据美国刑法的犯罪构成理论,刑法实体法上的犯罪构成要件包括两个方面,即犯罪行为(Actus Reus)和犯意(Mens Rea)。犯罪行为和犯意是犯罪在主客观方面的两个基本要素。也就是 The system of criminal defense is a product of the Western or Western legal traditions whose origins date back to the Roman Republic. As a legal system, the system of criminal defense is an important part of the legal system of modern countries ruled by law. It reflects the pursuit of justice and litigation democracy in a country. The system of criminal defense in the United States is based on the right standard. It confirms and defends the defendant’s right of defense. The defendant can either exercise his right of defense himself or he can entrust others to exercise it on his behalf. He can either appoint or accept others to defend himself or he can defend himself. This article intends to give a brief account of Criminal Defenses in the criminal law of the United States. According to the crime constitution theory of the American criminal law, the constitutional elements of criminal law substantive law include two aspects: Actus Reus and Mens Rea. Crime and guilty are two basic elements of the subjective and objective aspects of crime. That is