Criminals can engage in various crimes, and they fall into categories. The police and the court system categorize crimes more easily and hand out punishment when necessary. Criminals don’t usually think about their crimes and how the legal system might classify them until the authorities catch them and they end up in front of a judge.
In this article, we’ll speak about the three general crime categories. We’ll also talk about crimes against a person in particular. It’s one of the three kinds of criminality that exist.
What Are the Three Crime Types?
Crimes against persons are one of three types, according to the FBI’s Incident Reporting System. The legal system looks at them particularly harshly. Crimes against a person involve crimes where one person hurts someone else. They might also kill or threaten them with death, injury, or harm to the victim.
The other two crime types are crimes against property or society. Crimes against property might include burglary or theft. Motor vehicle theft falls into this category. Shoplifting is a crime against property. Vandalism and arson also land under this classification.
As for crimes against society, gambling in states where that’s not legal is a prime example. Prostitution is a crime against humanity. Various drug violations fall into this category as well.
Crimes against society are exciting because some criminals who engage in them might argue that they’re victimless offences. For instance, someone who solicits a prostitute may feel that it’s a business arrangement between two consenting adults, harming no one.
The police might argue that the act should remain illegal because some prostitutes must sell their bodies against their will if they’re human trafficking victims or underage. The point is that crimes against persons or property should maintain their illegal status. Crimes against society sometimes fall into a grey area according to someone’s moral compass.
Kinds of Crimes Against Persons
Getting back to crimes against a person, you should know about some of the main ones, just in case you are unsure about some of the more common examples. Homicide is one of the most obvious ones. Taking someone’s life is illegal because you rob them of their most prized possession.
Mayhem is another one. It might include someone disfiguring someone else by cutting or otherwise maiming them. Kidnapping means taking someone by force and holding them against their will. The FBI regards that one quite seriously as well.
Robbery is another crime against a person. Robbery is different from theft because usually, a weapon and a threat that this individual will use force against their victim come into play. Theft means taking something that belongs to someone else, but the person whose property you take isn’t necessarily there at the time for you to threaten.
Attempted murder is a crime against a person. It’s like homicide, but the person committing the act fails in their goal. Assault and battery fall into this category too. The perpetrator commits a violent act against another individual.
You might also hear about an assault with intent to commit a felony. If someone intends a felonious act, like a bank robbery, and they assault someone during that, they’ll face multiple felony charges. In those instances, if the police catch that person, the perp likely faces a double-digit prison sentence, even for a first offence.
What Else Should You Know About Crimes Against a Person?
Of the three crime types that the FBI defines, crimes against a person are arguably the worst. You are severely harming another individual if you commit one of these acts. It’s not surprising that the FBI and other law enforcement officials regard these crimes harshly.
You might notice that all crimes against persons are significant offences. Shoplifting a pack of gum isn’t all that bad, and it falls into the crimes against property section. Smoking a joint is a crime against society, and most people don’t regard that as such an awful thing in 2022.
Crimes against persons matter more in most instances because they’re willful, wanton acts that harm someone else, perhaps changing their life forever. Even if you commit a crime against someone else and don’t kill them, you might permanently scar them physically or psychologically.
If you’re thinking about perpetrating a crime against a person, reconsider. These felonies come with tough penalties if the authorities catch you, and deservedly so.
