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Definition: crime from Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary

(14c) 1 : an act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law; esp : a gross violation of law 2 : a grave offense esp. against morality 3 : criminal activity 〈efforts to fight ⁓〉 4 : something reprehensible, foolish, or disgraceful 〈it's a ⁓ to waste good food〉 syn see OFFENSE

crime•less \-ləs\ adj


Crime

From Encyclopedia of Criminal Justice Ethics
Scholars are continuously debating about the precise definition of crime. Whether one is a citizen, policy maker, police officer, lawyer, judge, criminologist, or activist, a specific definition of crime is the foundation of one's activities. Thus, prior to understanding the causes of crime, the various forms of crime, and its consequences, it is important to define crime. To do so, it is helpful to have an understanding of (1) the relationship between social norms, deviance, and crime; (2) social conflict, societal transformations, and crime as a new phenomenon; (3) the criminalization process and criminal law; (4) the various definitions of crime in modern society; and (5) the decriminalization process. The definition of crime is rooted in society's social norms. A vital ingredient of social life is social order, a product of various social norms governing human behavior. Norms set behavioral expectations and serve as a control mechanism. These behavioral expectations prevent chaos…
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Full text Article Crime Rate

From World of Criminal Justice, Gale
Crime Rate
Since the 1960s, the United States has sought to measure the crime rate, which is the reported number of different types of criminal behavior in the calendar year. This concept, which is also referred to as a crime index, is purely statistical. Law enforcement agencies do not attempt to explain why…
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Full text Article crime

From Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology
Societies have been concerned about behavioral expectations, disruptions to social order, and the protection of the natural flow of life since ancient times. Ancient Babylon's Code of Hammurabi is the earliest evidence of a society that clearly identified a set of rules governing social life. King…
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Full text Article Crime

From World of Criminal Justice, Gale
Crime is an act committed or omitted in violation of a law specifically prohibiting or commanding it, for which the possible penalties for an adult upon conviction include a fine and incarceration . Corporations that commit a crime can be penalized by fine or forfeiture, while a juvenile who commits…
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Full text Article Crime

From World of Sociology, Gale
Crime is defined by society and relative to the society defining it. Traditionally, crime is considered an offence, a violation of public rules or laws. Crime is defined within each society by specific criminal laws on the national, state, and local levels. Actions that are offensive to an…
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Full text Article CRIME

From Dictionary of Policing
According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary , crime may be defined as 1) a serious offence punishable by law; 2) illegal acts as a whole; or 3) a shameful act. Dictionary definitions of crime such as the above refer to a number of important features. Crime is generally seen as punishable by law and…
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Full text Article Crime

From Encyclopedia of American Studies
While there is no single, clear definition of crime in the broadest sense, there is considerable agreement on which actions committed in the United States are most deserving of punishment. Crime is commonly defined as a violation of social rules of conduct, interpreted and expressed by a written…
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Full text Article Crime

From The Princeton Encyclopedia of American Political History
The United States has long been distinctive among industrial societies for both its high level of violent crime and the harshness of its criminal justice systems. The paradox of great reliance on penal coercion to ensure social order in a society founded on the idea of individual liberty was noted…
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Full text Article CRIME

From Collins Dictionary of Quotations
[On rape] Perhaps it is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused and, in reality, it is she who must prove her good reputation, her mental soundness, and her impeccable propriety. ADLER, Freda Sisters in Crime (1975). He’s a good boy; everything he steals he brings right home to his…
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Full text Article crime

From The Chambers Dictionary
a violation of law, esp if serious; an act punishable by law; such acts collectively or in the abstract; an act of serious moral wrongdoing; sin; something deplorable ( inf ). vt ( milit ) to charge or convict of an infraction of regulations. [Fr, from L crīmen , - inis ] adj criminal. adj without…
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Full text Article crime

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Behaviour or action that is punishable by criminal law. A crime is a public, as opposed to a moral, wrong; it is an offence committed against (and hence punishable by) the state or the community at large. Many crimes are immoral, but not all actions considered immoral are illegal. What constitutes a…
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