Legal Dictionary

violent crime

Legal Definition of violent crime

Related terms


Definition of violent crime

Further reading

A violent crime or crime of violence is a crime 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 is the means to an end, such as robbery. Violent crimes include crimes committed with and without weapons. With the exception of rape (which accounts for 6% of all reported violent crimes), males are the primary victims of all forms of violent crime.

Types

Below are some forms of violent crimes outlawed by governmental legal entities:

<table class="all_border" align="center"> <tr> <td>Type</td> <td>Meaning</td> </tr><tr> <td>Abuse</td> <td>To use wrongly or improperly used; misuse</td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Child abuse</td> <td>Cruelty to children (people under the age of 18)</td> </tr><tr> <td>Sexual abuse</td> <td>The act of injuring a person during sexual activity without mutual consent for the gratification of the abuser.</td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Child sexual abuse</td> <td>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 does not have a developed enough understanding of sexuality.</td> </tr><tr> <td>Child-on-child sexual abuse</td> <td>When a minor abuses another child sexually. No adult is involved.</td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Assault and battery</td> <td>An assault involving actual bodily contact</td> </tr><tr> <td>Assault</td> <td>An unlawful physical attack upon another or threat to do violence to another</td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Aggravated assault</td> <td>Assault with the use of weapons or in other circumstances beyond the realm of normal assault</td> </tr><tr> <td>Sexual assault</td> <td>When a person�regardless of gender�forcefully engages another person in sexual activity without mutual consent.</td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Battery</td> <td>An unlawful attack upon another person by beating or wounding, or by touching in an offensive manner</td> </tr><tr> <td>Aggravated battery</td> <td></td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Sexual battery</td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td>Cruelty to animals</td> <td>A cruel act upon an animal</td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Domestic violence</td> <td>Acts of violence against a person living in one's household or a member of one's immediate family</td> </tr><tr> <td>Harassment</td> <td></td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Sexual harassment</td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td>Homicide</td> <td>The killing of another human being</td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Murder</td> <td>Homicide in certain proscribed conditions</td> </tr><tr> <td>Aggravated murder</td> <td></td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Sexual murder</td> <td></td> </tr><tr> <td>Property damage</td> <td>Damage to another's property (ie: breaking of things, burning, or harming in a devastating manner)</td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Rape</td> <td>The unlawful compelling of someone through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse</td> </tr><tr> <td>Statutory rape</td> <td>Consensual sexual relations between an adult and a person below the local age of consent.</td> </tr><tr class="alt_bg"> <td>Robbery</td> <td>Use of force or threat of force in the commission of theft</td> </tr></table>

References:

  1. Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.



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