Crime is a bad thing. And the previous sentence was an understatement, and an inaccurate description of the concept of Crime.
When someone commits a crime he or she, for sure, has broken a law that applies to the place and situation he or she is in. The principal statement of crime is that, if there is a law that is broken, there must be retribution, or justice meted.
Quick question. You run a red light. This means you have broken traffic laws. Does this mean you are a criminal?
Probably not.
If that were so, then probably three-quarters of the U.S.’s driving population would be criminals. Luckily, this is not the case. Crime, in a broad sense, refers to acts that violate political or moral law. An even more specific definition of Crime is the violation of criminal law.
Since running a red light is a violation of traffic laws and not criminal laws, we aren’t that ready to label more that half of the drivers on the streets today as criminals.
The general rules of defining crime may vary from country to country, culture to culture.
“Actus Reus and Mens Rea”, yes, I know. Two words that don’t really mean anything to most laypeople. Actus Reus means “guilty action.” This means an act of crime has been committed. Mens rea means “guilty mind.” This means there was malicious intentions by a party. Generally, for an act to be counted as a crime, both concepts must be present. Read more...
Tags: crime, Never, Pays
Posted in St Louis Information