There are different stages of crime. The stages are also important to grasp the basic concept of crime. The stages are the following:
Intention
The intention is the first stage of any offense and is known as the mental or psycho stage. In this stage, the offender decides the motive and decides his course or direction toward the offense.
The ironic fact about this stage is that the law cannot punish the person just for having the intention to do any illegal act.
Preparation
Preparation is the second stage among the stages of crime. It means arranging the
necessary resources for the execution of the intentional criminal act.
Intention and preparation alone are not enough to constitute a crime. Preparation is not punishable because in many cases the prosecution fails to prove that the preparations in question are for the execution of the particular crime.
Attempt
An attempt is a direct movement toward the execution of a crime after the preparation of the plan. According to law, a person is guilty of an attempt to commit an offense if he/she does an act that is more than simply preparatory to the commission of the offense.
Moreover, a person is guilty of attempting to commit an offense even though the facts are such that the execution of the offense seems to be impossible.
Accomplishment
The last stage in the commission of an offense is its successful completion. If the accused becomes successful in his attempt to commit the crime, he will be guilty of the complete offense. Furthermore, if his attempt is unsuccessful he will be guilty of his attempt.
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