Crimes

Criminal law is by definition jurisdictional and the definition for a crime may differ greatly from one jurisdiction to the next. Generally the definitions for crimes may be found in a country's penal code. In contrast, the procedural aspects of a given criminal justice system will be found in the Code of Criminal Procedure. Following is a sample list of some of the most common crimes that are present in almost every criminal justice system around the globe.

List of Crimes

• Crimes Against the Person
  • Murder
  • Felony Murder
  • Manslaughter - Voluntary
  • Manslaughter - Involuntary
  • Assault
  • Battery
  • Mayhem
  • Rape
  • Kidnapping
  • Human or Sex Trafficking

• Crimes Against Property
  • Arson
  • Blackmail
  • Burglary
  • Embezzlement
  • Extortion
  • False Pretense
  • Larceny
  • Receiving Stolen Property
  • Robbery
  • Trespass

• Crimes Against the State
  • Treason
  • Possession or sale of controlled substances
  • Prostitution
• Inchoate Crimes
  • Accomplice Liability
  • Attempt
  • Conspiracy
  • Solicitation
• International Law Crimes
  • Genocide
  • Crimes against Humanity
  • War Crimes
  • The Crime of Aggression

Elements of a Crime

As a general rule, every crime has four elements:

1. Actus Reus (Voluntary Act)
2. Mens Rea (Culpable Mental State)
3. Concurrence of Actus Reus and Mens Rea
4. Damages

In addition, each crime itself can be broken down to elements. In the United States, the prosecution must Standards of Proof that the defendant had the requisite mental state for each element in order to prove the crime.