NCJ Number
174567
Date Published
1998
Length
44 pages
Annotation
The substantive criminal law is discussed with respect to the difference between criminal and civil law, social values and legal definitions of deviance, the sources of criminal law in the United States, and the nature of specific offenses.
Abstract
Society's attempts to contain deviance through sanctions range from informal disapproval to the use of the police powers of the government. All criminal acts are deviant, but not all deviant acts are criminal. Criminal law in the United States combines the features of the common law that developed in England and the statutory law. Offenses are generally classified as felony or misdemeanor crimes, depending on how they are punished. Several crimes constitute the law of homicide. At least five crimes fit into the category of crimes against the person. Arson and burglary are the crimes against habitation. As many as six separate crimes constitute the acquisition offenses. At least five crimes can be grouped into crimes against morality. Environmental offenses are a more recently defined form of offense. Each crime is defined in terms of certain elements. The government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt each element that makes up a specific crime. Figures, table, photographs, notes, discussion and review questions, lists of statutes and cases, and 8 references