Types of Crime

1. THREE TYPES OF CRIME

There are three types of crime in society:

• Crimes against the person: Crimes against the person are crimes that cause harm to another person, as the name suggests. This includes crimes like murder, assault, battery, rape, child abuse, or domestic spousal abuse. Any time you harm another person, this is called a crime against the person.

• Crimes against property: Crimes against property include any crime that causes damage to property or results in theft of property, such as stealing, arson, grand theft auto or vandalism. These are crimes against property or crimes that damage property.

• Victimless crimes: In victimless crimes, perhaps the most sociologically interesting, there is no obvious victim. However, there are nonetheless harmful side effects to society.

think about it

Think of the chain of crime leading up to getting an illegal drug in your hands. How far did it travel? Was there was some kind of imprisonment involved? Was there any drug cartel violence leading to or essential to getting that drug to you?

Although people say drugs only harm the people that use them, and therefore shouldn’t be society's problem, they are. Drugs are society’s problem because drug use is a victimless crime--and victimless crimes contain a very social aspect to them.

terms to know

Crimes Against the Person

Crimes that cause injury or harm to another person.

Crimes Against Property

Crimes that cause damage to, or result in loss of, property.

Victimless Crimes

Crimes in which the cause and effect link is blurred and that there are no clear-cut victims.