subject: Criminal Law: A Vast And Interesting Sphere Of Law [print this page] Criminal Law: A Vast And Interesting Sphere Of Law
It appears that the concept of crime has developed as humans civilization advanced. The definition and type of crime has evolved too. As a result there had been a need to bring criminals to justice in a human society. As the concept of law evolved alongside the evolution of government the laws related to crime became more elaborate. In ancient times the concept of law was defined and executed by the monarch. However, today's modern society has an independent legislative, executive and judicial wing.
As a result the definition of crime has elaborate description and sub-categorization. The concept of crime carries an inherent social stigma. Researchers and social scientists have categorized criminal activities into following categories-
Property related criminal activity- burglary, larceny, theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, shoplifting, vandalism, etc can be cited as examples.
Public order related criminal activity- In simple words it can be defined as crimes without victims. This is because the victims themselves on several cases have willfully agreed to participate in activities considered illegal and immoral in society, for example- drug addiction, prostitution, etc;
Violent criminal conducts- This type of crimes involve people who use weapons of some kind with the exception to rape. Examples that can be cited include- domestic violence, rape, murder, homicide, cruelty to animals, etc.
The aforesaid classification is at a micro level and basically deals with crimes within the international border. However, crimes can be done at international level too. They are crimes that involve more than one nation. These types of crimes are tried in International Court of justice under the aegis of United Nation. There are several criminal tribunals which are created to try a specific international crime, for example- Nuremberg Trial.
Crimes of international character may include-
Slavery- Slavery although legally abolished, exists in different forms,
Piracy- the recent piracy activity in the gulf of Aden by Somali pirate can be cited as an example;
War of aggression- German attack on Poland (1939) triggering world war-II.
Crimes of Apartheid- Defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (2002) as racial oppression by one group over the other.
Criminal charges are brought against the offender by the government. A criminal attorney tries to reduce the crime of the offender or tries to prove an offender innocent and makes an appeal on behalf of an offender. In USA the penalties can vary from monetary fines to death sentence. It is important to find acriminal lawyer who specializes in that field of criminal law in which you have been charged.
