Let me start this piece with the generic truth that there are criminals all over the world. Some people are convicted of crimes that they did actually commit, while others who are victims of being falsely accused of crimes that they had absolutely nothing to do with (Law Fuel, 2015). Whichever is that case, one fact that cannot be denied is that crime and criminality has become a major part of our existence.
No matter what, though, there are a few crimes that are considered the most common types of crimes that people are accused of all over the world. I will open the discussion with the four most common crimes in the world before moving on to dissect others that are related to them. They are:
Assault: An assault is a physical attack on a person, according to Online Dictionary. Criminal Findlaw defines it as “the act of inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action.” Aggravated assault is, in some jurisdictions, a stronger form of assault, usually using a deadly weapon (FBI, 2010).A person has committed an aggravated assault when that person attempts to: cause serious bodily injury to another person with a deadly weapon; have sexual relations with a person who is under the age of consent; and cause bodily harm by recklessly operating a motor vehicle during road rage; often referred to as either vehicular assault or aggravated assaultwith a motor vehicle.
Oftentimes, people are assaulted by individuals that they know personally, including close family members. But many times, people are also assaulted in public, especially by criminals who want to steal from others. When someone is accused of assaulting another individual, the criminal is usually arrested, and if a lawsuit is brought forth against the criminal for damages that he or she caused to another person, he or she will be required to hire a lawyer for his or her defence in court (Law Fuel, 2015).
Theft: Business Dictionary states that theft is criminal act of dishonest assumption of the rights of the true owner of a tangible or intangible property by treating it as one’s own, whether or not taking it away with the intent of depriving the true owner of it.Thisis yet another common crime that is committed all over the world, especially as individuals continue to deal with poor economic conditions and eventually become so desperate that they end up resorting to lives of crime just to survive. Home invasion is a common form of theft. Merriam Webster defines it as “the crime of entering a dwelling and committing or with intent to commit a crime (as assault) while armed and while another is lawfully present.” Benton (2012) says home invasion is an illegal and usually forceful entry to an occupied, private dwelling with intent to commit a violent crime against the occupants, such as robbery, assault, rape, murder, or kidnapping. No matter what, though, the victims have to suffer with the loss of important and valuable possessions that they most likely will never get back unless the criminal is caught in time by the authorities (Law Fuel, 2015).
Traffic violations. Traffic violations occur when drivers violate laws that regulate vehicle operation on streets and highways (FindLaw, 2018). They are also extremely common. But when they cause severe car accidents that were the result of drunk driving, for example, they become serious crimes. Rather than simply receiving a ticket for the violation, individuals who cause these accidents are forced to deal with harsher consequences, such as having their licences revoked or having to appear in court to avoid going to jail for killing another individual who was a pedestrian, a fellow driver, or even a passenger in another vehicle that was involved in the crash (Law Fuel, 2015).
Drug abuse. These drugs are popular because they provide users with an unforgettable high that becomes addictive, and dealers love selling these drugs because they make a lot of money doing so. But if someone is caught with drugs in his or her possession, and if the individual is found using or selling these illegal substances, he or she risks going to prison (Law Fuel, 2015).
Cybercrime. It is also known as computer-oriented crime. It is a crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target. Cybercrimes can be defined as: “Offences that are committed against individuals or groups of individuals with a criminal motive to intentionally harm the reputation of the victim or cause physical or mental harm, or loss, to the victim directly or indirectly, using modern telecommunication networks such as Internet (networks including but not limited to Chat rooms, emails, notice boards and groups) and mobile phones (Bluetooth/SMS/MMS)” (Jaishankar, 2011).
Steve Morgan recounts in 2016 that this form of crime may cause an individual, organization or nation losses in many fronts. Issues surrounding these types of crimes have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding hacking, copyright infringement, unwarranted mass-surveillance, sextortion, child pornography, and child grooming. There are also problems of privacy when confidential information is intercepted or disclosed, lawfully or otherwise. DebaratiHalder and K. Jaishankar further define cybercrime from the perspective of gender and defined ‘cybercrime against women’ as “Crimes targeted against women with a motive to intentionally harm the victim psychologically and physically, using modern telecommunication networks such as internet and mobile phones” (Jaishankar, 2011).
Internationally, both governmental and non-state actors engage in cybercrimes, including espionage, financial theft, and other cross-border crimes. Cybercrimes crossing international borders and involving the actions of at least one nation state is sometimes referred to as cyberwarfare. A report (sponsored by McAfee), published in 2014, estimated that the annual damage to the global economy was $445 billion. Approximately $1.5 billion was lost in 2012 to online credit and debit card fraud in the US. In 2018, a study by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in partnership with McAfee, concludes that close to $600 billion, nearly one percent of global GDP, is lost to cybercrime each year (Lewis, 2018).
References
Halder, D., &Jaishankar, K. (2011) Cyber crime and the Victimization of Women: Laws, Rights, and Regulations. Hershey, PA, USA: IGI Global. ISBN 978-1-60960-830-9
Law Fuel (2015). A List of Four of the Most Common Types of Crimes People are Accused of Committing. Retrieved from http://www.lawfuel.com/blog/list-four-common-crimes/
Lewis, J (2018). “Economic Impact of Cybercrime – No Slowing Down” (PDF).
Moore, R. (2005) “Cyber crime: Investigating High-Technology Computer Crime,” Cleveland, Mississippi: Anderson Publishing.