[2] Motives are also used in other aspects of a specific case, for instance, when police are initially investigating.
"Intent" in criminal law is synonymous with mens rea ('guilty mind'), which means the mental state shows liability which is enforced by law as an element of a crime.
[3] "Motive" describes instead the reasons in the accused's background and station in life that are supposed to have induced the crime.
The first is volitional objection, which is the argument that the person cannot manage his or her own motives and therefore cannot be punished for them.
This is based on the idea that our society has contrasting political opinions and therefore a government’s preference should be limited.