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, they are bound to break a law that applies to where and where they find themselves. The main statement of the crime is that, if a law is broken, there must be retribution or justice.

Fast question. You pass a red light. This means that you have violated traffic laws. Does this mean that you are a criminal?

Probably not.

If that were so, probably three-quarters of the US driver population would be criminals. Fortunately, 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 violation of criminal law.

Since running a red light is a violation of traffic laws and not criminal laws, we are not as prepared to label more than half of the drivers on the streets as criminals.

The general rules for defining crime may vary from country to country, culture to culture.

“News Reus and Mens Rea”, yes, I know. Two words that really mean nothing to most lay people. Actus Reus means “guilty action”. This means that a criminal act has been committed. Mens rea means “guilty mind”. This means that there were malicious intentions on the part of one of the parties. Generally, for an act to be considered a crime, both concepts must be present.

Body of crime. Some people are as guilty of a crime as they can be. But somehow, he finds them blameless in the court of law. Usually this is because no corpus delicti has been found (Yes, more Latin words …). Without corpus delicti (or “proof of a crime”) there can be no prosecution of a crime.

Helping a crime. It can also be a crime to conspire to commit other crimes or to help others to commit crimes (in which case one becomes an accessory).

In some systems, simple association to organize a crime is sanctioned. The roles that accomplices play include being a “lookout” or simply assisting in communications for criminals to commit crimes.

Plans aborted? In some areas, the mere attempt to commit a crime can be punished, even if the crime is not completed. For example, it is generally a crime to attempt to murder someone, even if it has not been done.

The crazy way out. Most Western systems do not fully punish people who commit crimes unintentionally or who are not yet of legal age. Those who have proven to be insane at the time of the crime are examples of this.

Since insane people are said to lack proper control of their decision-making powers, they cannot be accused of any malicious intent.

When proof of a crime can be found, the person can be prosecuted for the criminal act. This allows the suspect to prove his innocence or for the court to prove his guilt. If found guilty, the person is now subject to punishment from the state.

Committing a crime is not a joke. And being accused of that is not. A good understanding of the basics of the law makes understanding, appreciating, and obeying the law easier and more attractive.