2.2 Current Crime Categories
As explained in Chapter 1, criminologists are concerned with criminal behavior, trends in criminal offending, and the impact of the justice system’s response. Such study of harm does not necessarily require close attention to the nitty gritty details of criminal laws. However, before diving into crime data sources and criminological theories, we should look at some of the common categories and definitions of crime. There are a variety of ways to classify different types of crime, but one common method distinguishes between crimes against people, property, or society.
Crimes against people include assaults, murder, and other types of violence. Crimes against property include burglary, theft, and vandalism. Crimes against society usually include behavior that is considered harmful to society, such as disorderly conduct, illegal gambling, or even drug offenses. Some violent crimes are referred to as “street crimes” when they are committed in public settings. Additionally, crime categories may be further distinguished as victimless or public order crime, domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV), white collar crime, cybercrime, terrorism, state crime, sexual crime, environmental crime, organized crime, and more. See figure 2.3 for brief examples of these categories. Keep in mind, these categories are not all mutually exclusive, meaning they may overlap. For example, stalking is a crime against a person that may be part of intimate partner violence and may be committed via the internet (cybercrime).
| Crime Category | Description/Examples |
|---|---|
| Crimes against people | Crimes that have direct human victims; will typically include violent crimes like assault |
| Property crime | Crimes that do not have direct human victims, but rather are against property; can include motor vehicle, burglary, and property theft |
| Crimes against society | Crimes that do not have direct human victims or target property and are also often considered victimless; can include sex work and drug violations |
| Violent crimes | Crimes that include violence against human victims; can include crimes such as homicide, rape, sexual assault, robbery, and physical assault; many are often referred to as “street crimes” |
| Victimless or public order crimes | Crimes that disrupt public order and do not have a direct victim or the “victim” is the self; a controversial category for many reasons, but tends to include crimes like sex work, drug use, and gambling |
| Domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) | DV: crime in a domestic setting; may include violence between those who live together or have familial relationships, such as crimes against children, partner(s), or other members of a household IPV: violence specifically between intimate/romantic partners |
| White collar crime | Crimes that typically involve economic exploitation by individuals or organizations/corporations; can include occupational crime, corpo