Crime

A crime in a broad sense is an act that violates a political or moral law. In the narrow sense, a crime is a violation of the criminal law. For example, most traffic violations or breaches of contract are not crimes in a legal sense.

Definition of crime

:This section describes usual criminal classifications applicable at present in Western countries. They may differ significantly with those applicable in other cultures; also, they may differ significantly with earlier practices.

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Most people who use this word are not "crime" specialists. Generally the word indicates a social concept of the person, where a specific social act is generally considered a deliberate and conscious choice of the choices known to be available to the user of the word. For instance, historically left-handedness, epileptic fits and emotional tantrums have often been considered "crimes".

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General rules

A crime can be the action of violating or breaking a law. According to Western jurisprudence, there must be a simultaneous concurrence of both actus reus ("guilty action") and mens rea ("guilty mind") for a crime to have been committed; except in crimes of strict liability. In order for prosecution, some laws require proof of causality, relating the defendant's actions to the criminal event in question. In addition, some laws require that attendant circumstances have occurred, in order for a crime to have occurred. Also, in order for a crime to be prosecuted, corpus delicti (or "proof of a crime") must be established.

Related Topics:
Western - Jurisprudence - Concurrence - Actus reus - Mens rea - Strict liability - Causality - Defendant - Attendant circumstance - Prosecuted - Corpus delicti - Proof

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It may also be a crime to conspire in order to commit other crimes, or helping others to commit crimes (which makes one an accomplice); in some systems the simple association for organizing a crime is punished. The attempt to commit a crime may to be punished, even if the crime is not completed (in California, USA e.g., the punishment can be half of that for the crime itself http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cacodes/pen/654-678.html); for instance, it is generally a crime to attempt to murder someone, even if one has not succeeded in doing so.

Related Topics:
Accomplice - System - Association - Organizing - Murder

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Trial

In general, in most western systems, the definition of a crime requires the existing intention of committing it (voluntas necandi) in the author, therefore it is usually not officially "punished" when this intention is missing or when the author has not a complete mental sanity or is under a certain age. Underage defendants can be tried "as an adult" because their character is considered adult, whatever the rationale is behind this. In another example, there generally exists an insanity defense: a mad person is not officially called penally responsible for his or her actions. It is common for someone that plead the insanity defense to be found guilty nonpsychiatrically or less commonly, to be psychiatrically condemned, or "involuntarily committed". Legal and official names indicate that involuntary commitment is neither legally nor officially considered punishment. They are for no definite duration or severity and the indefinite severity can easily enter the extreme. Psychiatric prisoners, or "patients", often are watched over in an ordinary prison and by a combination of psychiatric and nonpsychiatric staff. Physically and organizationally, psychiatrically specialized prisons, or "mental hospitals", are integrated into the medical system in terms of executing the sentence. Similarly, one is sometimes not held responsible for actions that one was forced to accomplish by an external power.

Related Topics:
Western - Sanity - Age - Insanity defense

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Reasons

Crimes are viewed as offenses against society, and as such are punished by the state. They can be scholastically distinguished, depending on the passive subject of the crime (the victim), or on the offended interest, in crimes against:

Related Topics:
Society - Victim

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• the personality of the State
• the rights of the citizen
• the public administration
• the administration of justice
• the religious sentiment and the pity for dead
• the public order
• the public faith
• the public economy, industry and commerce
• the public morality
• the person and honour
• the patrimony

Or they can be distinguished depending on the related punishment (then, on the degree of offense that the forbidden behaviour caused), in delicts and violations.

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The definition of a crime generally reflects the current attitudes prevalent in a society. For example, possession of drugs was not always a crime, while the Prohibition Era made alcohol illegal.

Related Topics:
Society - Drug - Prohibition - Alcohol

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Classification

Crimes can be divided into several (overlapping) categories: computer offenseshttp://news.pc-news.org/2005/08/10/microsoft_to_fight_crime_with_spammers_money/, crimes against persons, crimes against property, crimes against state security, drug offenses, sexual offenses, and weapon offenses. Crimes are also be grouped by severity, some common categorical terms being: felonies, indictable offenses, misdemeanors, and summary offences. For convenience, infractions are also usually incuded in such lists, although they are not subject of the criminal law, but rather of the civil law. An inchoate offense is a planned or attempted crime, which the offender was not able to carry out prior to arrest.

Related Topics:
Computer - Persons - Property - State - Security - Drug - Sex - Weapon - Felonies - Indictable offense - Misdemeanor - Summary offence - Infraction - Criminal law - Civil law - Inchoate offense - Arrest

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The following are crimes in many jurisdictions:

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Aiding and abetting

It may be a crime to aid someone else in committing a crime, or induce him or her to commit one.

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