What is crime?

What is Crime?

1. The general definition of crime that most criminologists would agree on according to Friedman is, “what makes some conduct criminal, and other conduct not, is the fact that some, but not others, are “against the law.”
2. The major difference between a criminal case and a civil case is that a civil case has a life cycle entirely different from that of a criminal case. A civil case can be ended by paying a fee and  will not result in prison time. A criminal case however, the state pays the bills and is considered to be more public.
3. Society is the victim in a criminal case in the sense that the state pays the bills and it is considered a public case.  I believe that it is important for the society to join with the real victim because the crime must be punished even without the victim’s approval.
4. Some examples that Friedman provides of “all sorts of nasty acts and evil deeds are not against the law, and thus not crimes” are lying, cheating and psychological abuse.
5. Friedman repeats the line “crime is a legal concept” because it can lead to misunderstandings about justice and social judgment.