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Violent crime



 
 
A violent crime or crime of violence is a crime
Crime

Societies define Crime as the breach of one or more rules or laws for which some Government or force may ultimately prescribe a punishment.The word crime originates from the Latin crimen , from the Latin root cerno and Greek ????? = "I judge"....
 in which the offender uses or threatens to use violent force upon the victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objective, such as murder, as well as crimes in which violence
Violence

Violence is the expression of physical force against self or other, compelling action against one's will on pain of being hurt. Variant uses of the term refer to the destruction of non-living objects ....
 is the means to an end, such as robbery. Violent crimes include crimes committed with and without weapons. With the exception of rape
Rape

Rape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
 (which accounts for 6% of all violent crimes), males are the primary victims of all forms of violent crime.






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A violent crime or crime of violence is a crime
Crime

Societies define Crime as the breach of one or more rules or laws for which some Government or force may ultimately prescribe a punishment.The word crime originates from the Latin crimen , from the Latin root cerno and Greek ????? = "I judge"....
 in which the offender uses or threatens to use violent force upon the victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objective, such as murder, as well as crimes in which violence
Violence

Violence is the expression of physical force against self or other, compelling action against one's will on pain of being hurt. Variant uses of the term refer to the destruction of non-living objects ....
 is the means to an end, such as robbery. Violent crimes include crimes committed with and without weapons. With the exception of rape
Rape

Rape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
 (which accounts for 6% of all violent crimes), males are the primary victims of all forms of violent crime.

Violent Crime by Country

The comparison of violent crime statistics
Crime statistics

Crime statistics attempt to provide statistics measures of the crime in societies. Given that crime is illegal, measurements of it are likely to be inaccurate....
 between countries is often problematic due to the way different countries classify crime. Valid comparisons require that similar offences between jurisdictions be compared. Often this is not possible because crime statistics aggregate equivalent offences in such different ways that make it difficult or impossible to obtain a valid comparison.

Australia

The Australian Standard Offence Classification (ASOC) document published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics

File:ABS House.jpgThe Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistics government agency. It came into being, as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent....
 does not have a single category for violent crime. Rather, violent crime is classified under a number of different categories that often indicate a range of both violent and non-violent behaviour. The categories include:
  • Homicide
    Homicide

    Homicide refers to the act of killing another human being. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English....
     and related offences, covering murder
    Murder

    Murder as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide....
     (including conspiracies and attempt
    Attempt

    Attempt crimes are crimes where the defendant's actions have the form of the actual enaction of the crime itself: the actions must go beyond mere preparation....
    s), manslaughter
    Manslaughter

    Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder.The law generally differentiates between levels of criminal culpability based on the mens rea, or state of mind....
     and driving causing death.
  • Acts intended to cause injury, such as Assault
    Assault

    Assault is a crime of violence against another human. In some jurisdictions, including Australia and New Zealand, assault refers to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, while in other jurisdictions, such as the United States, assault may refer only to the threat of violence caused by an immediate show of fo...
    , as well as other acts.
  • Sexual assault
    Sexual assault

    Sexual assault is is an assault of a sexual nature on another person. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may be by a man on a man, woman on a man or woman on a woman....
     and related offences including non-assaultive sexual offences, such as those against a child.
  • Abduction
    Abduction

    Abduction may refer to:...
     and related offences such as kidnapping
    Kidnapping

    In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or asportation of a person against the person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority....
    , deprivation
    Deprivation

    Deprivation may refer to:*Poverty*Sleep deprivation*Emotional Deprivation Disorder*Maternal deprivation...
     of liberty
    Liberty

    Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force, is generally considered in modern time to be a concept of political philosophy and identifies the condition in which an individual has the right to act according to his or her own free will....
     or false imprisonment
    False imprisonment

    False imprisonment is a tort, and possibly a crime, wherein a person is intentionally confined without legal authority....
    .
  • Robbery
    Robbery

    Robbery is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
    , extortion
    Extortion

    Extortion, outwresting, or exaction is a crime, which occurs, when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion....
     and related offences such as blackmail
    Blackmail

    Blackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal Substantial truth information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand made upon the victim is met....
    .


Canada

Canada classifies homicide
Homicide

Homicide refers to the act of killing another human being. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English....
s, attempted murder
Attempted murder

In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful homicide and at the same time having a intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace....
, all assault
Assault

Assault is a crime of violence against another human. In some jurisdictions, including Australia and New Zealand, assault refers to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, while in other jurisdictions, such as the United States, assault may refer only to the threat of violence caused by an immediate show of fo...
s, all sexual offences, abduction
Abduction

Abduction may refer to:...
 and robbery
Robbery

Robbery is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
 as violent crime.

New Zealand

New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
's crime statistics has a category for violence that includes homicide
Homicide

Homicide refers to the act of killing another human being. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English....
s, kidnapping
Kidnapping

In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or asportation of a person against the person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority....
, abduction
Abduction

Abduction may refer to:...
, robbery
Robbery

Robbery is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
, assault
Assault

Assault is a crime of violence against another human. In some jurisdictions, including Australia and New Zealand, assault refers to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, while in other jurisdictions, such as the United States, assault may refer only to the threat of violence caused by an immediate show of fo...
s, intimidation
Intimidation

Intimidation is intentional behavior "which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities" fear of injury or harm. It's not necessary to prove that the behavior was so violent as to cause terror or that the victim was actually frightened....
, threats
Coercion

Coercion is the practice of compelling a person or manipulating them to behave in an involuntary way by use of threats, intimidation, trickery, or some other form of pressure or force....
, and group
Group

Group can refer to:...
 assembly
Assembly

Assembly may refer to:...
, while all sexual offences are shown in a separate category from violence.

United Kingdom


England and Wales
Includes all violence
Violence

Violence is the expression of physical force against self or other, compelling action against one's will on pain of being hurt. Variant uses of the term refer to the destruction of non-living objects ....
 against the person, sexual offences, and robbery
Robbery

Robbery is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
 as violent crime.

United States

The United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice

The United States Department of Justice is a United States Cabinet department in the United States government of the United States designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans ....
 Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) counts five categories of crime as violent crimes: murder
Murder

Murder as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide....
, forcible rape
Rape

Rape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
, robbery
Robbery

Robbery is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
, aggravated assault, and simple assault. According to BJS figures, the rate of violent crime victimization in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 declined by more than half between the years 1994 and 2001.

Types

Below are some forms of violent crime
Crime

Societies define Crime as the breach of one or more rules or laws for which some Government or force may ultimately prescribe a punishment.The word crime originates from the Latin crimen , from the Latin root cerno and Greek ????? = "I judge"....
s outlawed by governmental legal entities:

Type Meaning
Abuse
Abuse

Abuse refers to the use or treatment of something that is harmful. It can be classed by the target of abuse or the type of abuse....
To use wrongly or improperly used; misuse
* Child abuse
Child abuse

Child abuse is the physical abuse, psychological abuse or child sexual abuse maltreatment of children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines child maltreatment as any act or series of acts or commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child....
Cruelty to children (people under the age of 18)
* Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual acts by one person upon another. The offender is referred to as a molester/molestor/ abuser/sexual abuser....
The act of injuring a person during sexual activity without mutual consent for the gratification of the the abuser.
** Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse

Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which a child is abused for the sexual gratification of an adult or older adolescent. In addition to direct sexual activity, child sexual abuse also occurs when an adult Indecent exposure to a child, asks or pressures a child to engage in sexual activities, displays pornography to a child, or us...
When an adult forces a minor to engage in sexual activity, especially without regard for the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of the child who, by government law, cannot consent since it is believed that anyone under the age of 18 years has no understanding of sexuality.
*** Child-on-child sexual abuse
Child-on-child sexual abuse

Child-on-child sexual abuse refers to a form of child sexual abuse in which a prepubescent child is sexually abused by one or more other children or adolescent youths, and in which no adult is directly involved....
 
Assault and battery
Assault and battery

Assault and battery is the combination of two violent crimes: assault and battery . This legal distinction exists only in jurisdictions that distinguish assault as threatened violence rather than actual violence....
An assault involving actual bodily contact
* Assault
Assault

Assault is a crime of violence against another human. In some jurisdictions, including Australia and New Zealand, assault refers to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, while in other jurisdictions, such as the United States, assault may refer only to the threat of violence caused by an immediate show of fo...
An unlawful physical attack upon another or threat to do violence to another
** Aggravated assault Assault with the use of weapons or in other circumstances beyond the realm of normal assault
** Sexual assault
Sexual assault

Sexual assault is is an assault of a sexual nature on another person. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may be by a man on a man, woman on a man or woman on a woman....
When a person -- regardless of gender -- forcefully engages another person in sexual activity without mutual consent.
*Battery
Battery (crime)

Battery is a crime in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, the United States and other jurisdictions. There is an offence which could be described as battery in Russia....
An unlawful attack upon another person by beating or wounding, or by touching in an offensive manner
** Aggravated battery
Aggravated battery

Aggravated battery in criminal law is a more serious form of battery , and is considered a felony. Aggravated battery can be punished by a fine or more than a year in prison....
 
** Sexual battery 
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals

Cruelty to animals refers to the infliction suffering or harm to animals as an end in and of itself. However, it has also been defined as causing harm for specific gain such as killing animals for food or fur use....
A cruel act upon an animal
Domestic violence
Domestic violence

Domestic violence occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate another. Domestic violence often refers to violence between spouses, or spousal abuse but can also include cohabitants and non-married intimate partners....
Acts of violence against a person living in one's household or a member of one's immediate family
Harassment
Harassment

Harassment refers to a wide spectrum of offensive behaviour. The term commonly refers to behaviour intended to disturb or upset, and, when the term is used in a legal sense, it refers to behaviours which are found threatening or disturbing....
 
* Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is unwelcome attention of a sexual nature and is a form of illegal and social harassment. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and annoyances to actual sexual abuse or sexual assault....
 
Homicide
Homicide

Homicide refers to the act of killing another human being. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English....
The killing of another human being
Murder
Murder

Murder as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide....
Homicide in certain proscribed conditions
* Aggravated murder 
* Sexual murder 
Property damage
Property damage

Property damage is damage to or the destruction of public or private property, caused either by a person who is not its Ownership or by natural phenomena....
Damage to another's property (ie: breaking of things, burning, or harming in a devastating manner)
Rape
Rape

Rape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
The unlawful compelling of someone through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse
* Statutory rape
Statutory rape

The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe consensual sexual relations that take place when an individual has sexual relations with an individual not old enough to legally consent to the behavior....
 
Robbery
Robbery

Robbery is the crime of seizing property through violence or intimidation. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
Use of force or threat of force in the commission of theft