In ordinary language, the term crime denotes an unlawful act punishable by a state.

[1] The term
"crime" does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,
[2]
 though statutory definitions have been provided for certain purposes. [3] The most popular view is
that crime is a category created by law; in other words, something is a crime if declared as such by
the relevant and applicable law.[2] One proposed definition is that a crime or offence (or criminal
offence) is an act harmful not only to some individual or individuals but also to a community, society
or the state ("a public wrong"). Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law. [1][4]

The notion that acts such as murder, rape and theft are to be prohibited exists worldwide.[5] What

precisely is a criminal offence is defined by criminal law of each country. While many have a
catalogue of crimes called the criminal code, in some common law countries no such comprehensive
statute exists.

The state (government) has the power to severely restrict one's liberty for committing a crime.
In modern societies, there are procedures to which investigations and trialsmust adhere. If
found guilty, an offender may be sentenced to a form of reparation such as a community sentence,
or, depending on the nature of their offence, to undergoimprisonment, life imprisonment or, in
some jurisdictions, execution.

Usually, to be classified as a crime, the "act of doing something criminal" (actus reus) must
– with certain exceptions – be accompanied by the "intention to do something criminal" (mens rea).[4]

While every crime violates the law, not every violation of the law counts as a crime. Breaches
of private law (torts and breaches of contract) are not automatically punished by the state, but can
be enforced through civil procedure.

Crimes are defined by criminal law, which refers to a body of federal and state rules that prohibit behavior
the government deems harmful to society. If one engages in such behavior, they may be guilty of a crime
and prosecuted in criminal court.

In today’s society, criminal behavior and criminal trials are highly publicized in the media and commonly
the storyline in hit television shows and movies. As a result, people may consider themselves well-
informed on the different types of crimes. However, the law can be quite complicated.

There are many different types of crimes but, generally, crimes can be divided into four major
categories, personal crimes, property crimes, inchoate crimes, and Statutory Crimes:

 Personal Crimes – “Offenses against the Person”: These are crimes that result in physical or
mental harm to another person. Personal crimes include:
o Assault 
o Battery
o False Imprisonment
o Kidnapping
o Homicide – crimes such as first and second degree, murder, and involuntary
manslaughter, and vehicular homicide
o Rape, statutory rape, sexual assault and other offenses of a sexual nature
 Property Crimes – “Offenses against Property”: These are crimes that do not necessarily involve
harm to another person. Instead, they involve an interference with another person’s right to use or enjoy
their property. Property crimes include:
o Larceny (theft)
o Robbery (theft by force) – Note: this is also considered a personal crime since it results in
physical and mental harm.
o Burglary (penalties for burglary)
o Arson
o Embezzlement
o Forgery
o False pretenses
o Receipt of stolen goods.
 Inchoate Crimes – “Inchoate” translates into “incomplete”, meaning crimes that were begun, but
not completed. This requires that a person take a substantial step to complete a crime, as opposed to just
“intend” to commit a crime. Inchoate crimes include:
o Attempt – any crime that is attempted like “attempted robbery”
o Solicitation
o Conspiracy
 Statutory Crimes – A violation of a specific state or federal statute and can involve either
property offenses or personal offense. Statutory crimes include:
o Alcohol-related crimes such as drunk driving (DUI)
o Selling alcohol to a minor.

The crimes listed above are basically prohibited in every state, but each state is different in how the law is
written, how the behavior is regulated and the penalties that each crime potentially carries. Also, the list is
far from complete because behavior may be prohibited in one state and not in others. For example,
prostitution is legal is some parts of Nevada, but is a crime in every other state. Likewise, carrying a
concealed firearm is only legal in certain states.

Causes of Crime
What exactly is a crime and why do people commit crimes?

The Oxford Dictionary defines a crime as 'an action or omission which constitutes an offence
and is punishable by law'.

So we may do something 'wrong' that is not a crime. Lying to a friend may be wrong but it
may not be a crime. On the other hand we may do something 'right' which is a crime.

So, a crime is a fact, a matter of law. It is not an opinion. As society changes, some actions
which used to be criminal, for example, are no longer criminal. Likewise, some actions, such
as smoking in covered public places are. Laws are made by the Government, a government
we elect democratically, for the good of us all. We may not agree with the law but there are
democratic opportunities to change it.
In a democratic society, someone charged with a crime has the opportunity to defend
him/herself. He or she will be deemed to be innocent until proven guilty by a criminal court.
Punishments traditionally reflect the seriousness of the crime; the most serious crimes to be
those which involve violence and/or loss of life.

The causes of crime are complex. Most people today accept that poverty, parental neglect,
low self-esteem, alcohol and drug abuse are all connected in explaining why people commit
crimes. Some people are simply at greater risk of becoming offenders because of the
circumstances into which they are born.

Individualists tend to focus on individual weakness or lack of 'values' as the reason why
people commit crimes. Ultimately if someone chooses to commit a crime, that is their
responsibility. If caught, the individual should pay the consequences. Individualists feel that
society needs clearer rules and strong punishments to minimise criminal behaviour. If
punishments were stronger and the police and the courts had more powers, there would be
less crime.

Collectivists feel that in order to tackle crime, the social conditions which create the
conditions for crime need to be addressed. So, better housing, better employment
opportunities and a more equal society will make crime less of an attraction. If people are in
work and are content with life, they will be less motivated to break the law.

Most recent governments accept that there are underlying causes of crime. But individuals
need to accept responsibility for their actions. It is the government's job to tackle crime;
both its causes and the offenders. As former Prime Minister Tony Blair said: 'being tough on
crime and tough on the causes of crime'.

Crime can be defined in many different ways. Different societies

may also choose to define crimes differently. However, in general,
crime can simply be defined as the breach of laws that are laid down
by the ruling authority of the land. There can be many different
causes of crime and many studies are conducted all around the
world to understand and bring down criminal activities. It is a
constant endeavor of governments and policing organizations all
around the world to bring down crime rates so that the world
becomes a safer place to live in. The fight against crime is not a
new one in humanity and it has, since the establishment of society,
tried to bring crimes down. Let us now attempt to look at some of
the causes of crimes.

10. Victim of unfair rulings and the correction system (prison

system):
Victims of unfair or incorrect rulings from court often cause people
to enter a life of crime. It often happens that a person is a victim of
chance and happens to fall into crimes. Besides that, people are also
often falsely accused of committing crimes which ends up in a court
conviction. Jails or prisons often make worse criminals out of people
because of the conditions that exist there. Corrections anywhere
does not involve major rehabilitation for criminals and more often
than not they end up being thrown in overpopulated jails full of
people who are either victims or perpetrators of crimes more serious
than their own. The declassification of people in prisons is also a
major cause of crime creation.

9. Drugs:
Drugs are a bane, no matter how we look at them. A person
addicted to drugs is unable to support their addiction and more
often than not they end up in a life of crime to fuel their habits. It is
not unknown anywhere in the world that a drug addict ends up
committing crimes to raise money for their habits. Besides that
there are also a large number of people that are involved in the
drug trade. Though these people may not really be drug users
themselves, they often lure others into drugs and crimes.

8. Depression and other social and mental disorders:

Depression is also a major cause of crime. Other than depression,
people with grave mental disorders also end up committing crimes.
Such people should be treated before their tendencies and ailments
get out of hand. A person under depression or some other serious
mental disorder can also easily cause harm to themselves.

7. Family conditions:
There are a lot of things that go on in families that often cause
people to get into a life of crime. Here again there are a lot of
different conditions that lead a person into crime. Abuse during
formative years from family members and other such acts also
instigate a person into a life of crime. People who are neglected by
their families and do not get the love and attention that they desire
also get into criminal activities. Family violence and other issues are
also related to crime in many ways.

6. Regionalism:
Regionalism is a major cause of crime and unrest among people.
Such people that harbor such regionalist feelings often go to great
lengths to commit crimes against other communities. This fact is
often ignored by people and the administrative bodies as they too
are caught up in classifications of people by region. It is often that a
victim of such regionalism gets influenced and enters the world of
crimes.

5. TV violence:
TV violence has gone up to staggering levels and it does not help
when people are influenced and try to emulate such acts of
violence. TV violence is a major cause of crime especially among
younger people that are unable to differentiate between fiction and
reality. Since TV has become such an integral part of people’s lives
now days, it is important to draw clear lines between what is real
and what is not.

4. Racism:
Discrimination based on race is a serious issue all around the world.
All humans are in a way racist towards some people in some part of
the world or another. Racism has contributed a lot of unrest to
many places all around the world and it’s mostly because of one or
two idiots that such crimes are given birth to. It is a sad fact of the
world that we live in that we end up discriminating against
something that is the same flesh and blood underneath even though
the external appearance and the origins may be different.

3. Politics:
Politics is often a cause of crime. It is seen that many political
associations all around the world have their own mafias running
which they use to manipulate and subjugate people. Political power
is often misused to take advantage of weaker groups and people
and the dissidence that rises out of such situations often force the
victims to resort to crimes. Politics is more related to crime on a
much larger and a much heinous level than anything else.

2. Poverty:
Economic deprivation or simply poverty is a major cause of crime all
around the world. People are often driven to great lengths of
desperation by poverty and this is a major cause of crime all around
the world. The fact that such frustration is created is in itself a very
dangerous thing for society on the whole as global inflation has
risen significantly over the last few years. Although it does seem
that in our world today, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

 
1. Overpopulation:
Increase in population is the biggest cause of crime and much of the
world’s worries. Although population increase is related to each and
every cause mentioned here, it still needs to be looked at as a cause
of crime. The increase of population triggers of a dynamo effect in
society and this leads to the creation of more people with some
form of frustration or resentment towards society as such.