There are various concepts of a crime that make every crime separate from others. Here I have listed various concepts of crime.
In our society, it is the legal system that defines which acts are criminal and which are not. A crime cannot be committed unless the act violates the law. The legal definition of crime is a very weighted argument, however many also argue that in order to define crime we rely on existing social and cultural norms which are accepted in society.
The definition of crime is dependent on it as it affects our own interpretation of what crime is. Social and cultural factors are constantly evolving and changing. They are not static and this, therefore, makes them susceptible to changes that inevitably affect the definition of crime.
Basic elements of the crime are important to understand the concept of crime.
Mens Rea
The term “Mens Rea” is a Latin phrase it means ‘to have in mind.” In men’s rea,
the mind accepts the fact that a crime is committed which is wrong. It’s actually the mental state of the person who is guilty.
Actus Reus
“Actus Reus” is also a Latin term and it means “to do an act.” It is actually a physical
representation of a crime. Thus, it shows how the crime committed affected the person physically along with his conduct at that point in time.
Concurrence
Concurrence is another basic component of a crime. This means that both actusreus
and mensrea should occur simultaneously for an act to be considered as a crime. This is called concurrence.
Legality
The word “legality” means “obligations as imposed by law” or “the quality or state of
being in accordance with the law.” If a person does not fulfill his or her obligations as imposed by law, he or she is committing a crime. Of course, the courts will consider if the intent clause and the occurrence clause are fulfilled as well before convicting the defendant.
Causation
The word “causation” according to legal jargon means “the causal relationship between the conduct of an accused and the end result, that in most cases is an injury.” In short, the word, in the crime scene, means causing harm or misery to someone else by taking a particular action or by not taking an action that is legally required to be taken.
Harm
The meaning of the word “harm” in legal parlance is as follows: If a person acts or
omits to act and thus causes an injury to another person, it is called harm. Injuries include physical injuries or damage to the dignity or reputation of another person, a breach of a contract, or taking a particular action that results in the loss of a legal right for another person.
Punishment
To understand the element of “punishment”, one should know why courts punish those who are convicted of crimes. The reason courts award punishments to the convicted are that crimes are forbidden by them since crimes can cause harm to individuals or to society.
Punishment is another element that constitutes a crime. Courts take into account various factors and satisfy themselves.
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