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Page 21 of 33 |
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What is a ‘crime?’ |
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A crime is any act that violates the law. The definition of the prohibited act (or the failure to act in a manner that has been mandated) is set forth in writing by local, state and federal governments (in the form of a published statute). However, vestiges of common law crimes exist (common law crimes are defined by the customs of the unwritten law of England and the American colonies prior to the American revolution). Some states, such as California, have a statute stating that common law crimes do not exist; all crimes must be in writing set forth by statute.
Not all violations of law forbidding or commanding an act are crimes. To be a crime there must be a defined punishment. If the law does not set forth the particulars of the punishment for the described act or omission, then it is not a crime (unless the state has enacted a "savings clause" which sets forth punishment for violation of law in the absence of a specific defined punishment for the particular act or omission). |
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