Crime is an intentional act that breaks laws or otherwise injures a person or property. It is an important topic for criminal justice and criminology students because it forms the basis of most legal systems. The article below discusses the definition of a crime, as well as some of the characteristics that are found in crimes. This article focuses on common, or Anglo-American law, but the material is applicable to most other systems of law as well. The article also discusses the various stages of a criminal investigation and trial. The article concludes with a discussion on what the differences are between the different types of crime. If you find yourself in trouble with the law consider connecting with Cain & Herren criminal defense attorney.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, there was great interest in biological theories that linked specific physical and psychological traits with criminal behaviour. Some of these included the idea that a person’s skull shape, facial features, body type and chromosomal composition may affect their risk of criminality. These ideas held sway for some time, but have since lost popularity among criminologists. However, it is clear that certain psychological traits can lead to criminal activity. For example, substance abuse is often a direct result of genes that are passed on by one’s parents, and there are also studies that have linked criminality to the personality trait of psychopathy.
Other criminologists have theorised that criminal behaviour is a normal response to an offender’s social environment. The anomie theory of American sociologist Robert K Merton, which argues that criminal behaviour is a result of the offender’s inability to attain his goals through other socially acceptable means, gained much support and became an essential aspect of sociology courses. This theory has largely been replaced by explanations that are based on the concept that people’s motivations for committing crimes change over time and with their surroundings.
The type of people who commit crimes varies widely between jurisdictions and over time. Research involving people who have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted suggests that there are some general characteristics that are shared by most criminals, but this information is subject to serious limitations. Many of the crimes studied are those that have been punished by the courts, and such populations only represent the small minority who have been unsuccessful in avoiding arrest.
In addition, the laws of each jurisdiction and of individual countries can differ radically. Conduct that may be considered a crime in some countries and jurisdictions is often lawful elsewhere. This has occurred as a result of changing times and social attitudes, for example the fact that abortion is now lawful in most countries and that homosexual behaviour is legal between consenting adults.
Studies have shown that participation in crime generally peaks at a young age for both males and females. It declines steadily with advancing age. The statistics vary between jurisdictions, but involvement in minor property crime typically peaks in the late teenage years or early adulthood, and involvement in violent offending tends to peak in the late teens to the mid-20s.
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