What is CRIME?

The word crime is derived from the Latin root cerno, meaning "I decide, Igive judgment". Originally the Latin word crimen meant charge or cry ofdistress. The Ancient Greek word krima, from which the Latin cognatederives, typically referred to an intellectual mistake or an offense againstthe community, rather than a private or moral wrong.

In 13th century English crime meant "sinfulness", according to OnlineEtimology Dictionary. It was probably brought to England as Old Frenchcrimne (12th century form of Modern French crime), from Latin crimen (inthe genitive case: criminis). In Latin, crimen could have signified any oneof the following: charge, indictment, accusation, crime, fault, offense.

•The following definition of "crime"was provided by the Prevention ofCrimes Act 1871: The expression"crime" means, in England andIreland, any felony or the offence ofuttering false or counterfeit coin, orof possessing counterfeit gold orsilver coin, or the offence ofobtaining goods or money by falsepretences, or the offence ofconspiracy to defraud, or anymisdemeanour under the fifty-eighthsection of the Larceny Act, 1861.

•According to Trade Union and LaburRelations (Consolidation) Act 1992: Acrime means an offence punishableon indictment, or an offencepunishable on summary conviction,and for the commission of which theoffender is liable under the statutemaking the offence punishable to beimprisoned either absolutely or at thediscretion of the court as analternative for some otherpunishment.

1.Victimless Crime: According to the University of Chicago's vice scholar, Jim Leitzel: Threecharacteristics can be used to identify whether a crime is victimlesscrime - if the act is excessive, is indicative of a distinct pattern ofbehavior, and its adverse effects impact only the person who has

engaged in it.2.Professional Crime:

According to Edwin Sutherland: They devote their entire working timeto planning and executing crimes and sometimes travel across thenation to persue their “professional duties”.

3. Organized Crime:

A criminal organization or gang canalso be referred to as a mafia, mob, orcrime syndicate. Some of the famousand dangerous organized criminalgroup are – The Russian Mafia, TheChinese Mafia, Hong Kong Triads andThe JapaneseYakuza.

4. White-Collar Crime:According to Edwin Sutherland: "a crimecommitted by a person of respectability andhigh social status in the course of hisoccupation is classified as white-collar crime."

5. Transnational Crime:According to the definition by Boister, Neil: Transnational crimes are

crimes that have actual or potential effect across national borders andcrimes that are intrastate but offend fundamental values of theinternational community.