Arizona statute
A.R.S. § 13-205 — Affirmative defenses; justification; burden of proof
Current through 57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session (2025)
Part of Chapter 2: General Principles of Criminal Liability, Arizona Revised Statutes.
Full text of A.R.S. § 13-205
Statutory text current through the 57th Legislature, 1st Regular Session (2025). This publication reproduces the official statutory text published by the Arizona Legislature (Arizona Legislative Council compilation, azleg.gov); it is not the official statutes of the State of Arizona.
A. Except as otherwise provided by law, a defendant shall prove any affirmative defense raised by a preponderance of the evidence. Justification defenses under chapter 4 of this title are not affirmative defenses. Justification defenses describe conduct that, if not justified, would constitute an offense but, if justified, does not constitute criminal or wrongful conduct. If evidence of justification pursuant to chapter 4 of this title is presented by the defendant, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act with justification.
B. This section does not affect the presumption contained in section 13-411, subsection C and section 13-503.
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