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Crime Definition:
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An act or omission which is prohibited by criminal law and punished, usually by fine or imprisonment.
Related Terms:
Criminal Law,
Offense,
Misdemeanor,
Alibi
Each state sets out a limited series of acts (crimes) which are prohibited and punishes the commission of these acts by a fine, imprisonment or some other form of punishment, through a body of law called criminal law.
The 1911 description of Odgers remains true:
"A crime is a wrongful act of such a kind that the State deems it necessary, in the interests of the public, to repress it; for its repitition would be harmful to the community as a whole."
In exceptional cases, an omission to act can constitute a crime, such as failing to give assistance to a person in peril or failing to report a case of child abuse.
Many jurists prefer the term "offense" or "offence" when referring to conduct that attracts sanction by the state in which the offence occurred.
A tort is another form of wrongful act.
REFERENCES:
- Odgers, W. B., The Common Law of England (London: Sweet & Maxwell Limited, 1911), page 101.
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