Violent crime
Crime involving use or threat of harmful force against a victim.
Violent crime is a category of crime in which an offender uses or threatens harmful force against a victim. It includes acts where violence is the objective, such as murder and assault, as well as crimes where violence is used as coercion, such as robbery and terrorism. Violent crimes may or may not involve weapons, and their severity varies by jurisdiction, ranging from harassment to murder.
- definition
- Crime involving use or threat of harmful force
- examples
- Murder, assault, robbery, extortion, terrorism, safety crime
- common offender traits
- Low anger threshold, disinhibition, antisocial personality, aggressive tendencies
- measurement challenge
- Comparison between countries is problematic due to different classification systems
- Australia classification
- ANZSOC first six divisions cover offences against the person
- Canada UCR categories
- Homicide, attempted murder, sexual assault, assault, robbery, criminal harassment, uttering threats
- US federal definition
- Title 18 § 16: offense involving use or threatened use of physical force, or felony with substantial risk of force
Lore & Background
Violent crime encompasses a wide range of acts, from murder and assault to robbery and terrorism. Offenders often display characteristics such as low anger threshold, disinhibition, strong territorial instincts, antisocial personality, and aggressive tendencies. Criminal organizations, gangsters, and drug cartels frequently employ violent criminals as enforcers or hitmen.
Reader's Guide
The comparison of violent crime statistics between countries is usually problematic due to different classification systems. For example, Australia and New Zealand use the Australian and New Zealand Standard Offence Classification (ANZSOC), which has no single category for violent crime but divides offences against the person into six divisions. Canada conducts the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR) and the General Social Survey on Victimisation (GSS). The United States defines 'crime of violence' in Title 18 of the United States Code, though clause (b) was ruled void for vagueness by the Supreme Court in Sessions v. Dimaya. European countries vary: Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, England, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Greece, and Sweden count minor violence like slapping as assault, while France does not. The United Kingdom includes all violence against the person including sexual offences as violent crime. These differences make cross-national comparisons difficult.
Did You Know?
- Violent crimes may or may not be committed with weapons.
- Australia's Crime Victimisation Survey includes personal crimes such as physical assault, threatened assault, robbery, and sexual assault.
- Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) shows a gender gap: men are more likely guilty of general violence, women more likely guilty of IPV.
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