45-1-102 . General purposes and principles of construction. (1) The general purposes of the provisions governing the definition of offenses are: (a) to forbid and prevent conduct that unjustifiably and inexcusably inflicts or threatens harm to individual or public interests; (b) to safeguard conduct that is without fault from condemnation as criminal; (c) to give fair warning of the nature of the conduct declared to constitute an offense; (d) to differentiate on reasonable grounds between serious and minor offenses. (2) The rule of the common law that penal statutes are to be strictly construed has no application to this code. All its provisions are to be construed according to the fair import of their terms with a view to effect its object and to promote justice.
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