True or false: If the defendant's lack of risk awareness stems solely from voluntary intoxication, they may still act wantonly.

True or false: If the defendant's lack of risk awareness stems solely from voluntary intoxication, they may still act wantonly.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not determinable
• D. Only if charged with a misdemeanor

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how voluntary intoxication interacts with wantonness, a form of recklessness. Wantonness means the person consciously disregards a substantial and unjustified risk. Voluntary intoxication does not automatically erase that mental state. Even if the only reason the person lacks awareness of the risk is the intoxication, their choice to proceed in a situation with a known or obvious risk can still reflect a conscious disregard for safety. In Kentucky law, the moral blame for acting in a way that shows such disregard isn’t typically defeated simply because the actor was intoxicated. So, the statement is true: they may still act wantonly despite the intoxication.

The main idea here is how voluntary intoxication interacts with wantonness, a form of recklessness. Wantonness means the person consciously disregards a substantial and unjustified risk. Voluntary intoxication does not automatically erase that mental state. Even if the only reason the person lacks awareness of the risk is the intoxication, their choice to proceed in a situation with a known or obvious risk can still reflect a conscious disregard for safety. In Kentucky law, the moral blame for acting in a way that shows such disregard isn’t typically defeated simply because the actor was intoxicated. So, the statement is true: they may still act wantonly despite the intoxication.