Classification of Criminal Offenses in the U.S.

All criminal offenses are categorized according to their seriousness. There is a standard procedure for classifying the offenses in the United States of America. The gravity of the bodily harm caused is normally taken into consideration while trying to ascertain the seriousness of the offense. The value of the property seized by unlawful means or damaged is taken into consideration while deciding on the severity of a property-related crime.

The sentence or punishment depends on several additional factors as well. A repeat offense is often classified in a higher category than a first-time criminal offense. Committing criminal offenses with intent of malice or cruelty may often result in greater degrees of punishment as well. A deliberate attempt to jeopardize the safety of an individual is also considered to be a serious offense. Crimes against minor children or handicapped members of the society is particularly frowned upon with the law of the United States taking stern measures against such offenders.

The power to classify a crime usually rests with the courts and the types of crimes that are punishable under the law can be found in Title 18 U.S.C. A crime can either be a felony or misdemeanor with misdemeanor being the lesser of the two. While a felony may attract both imprisonment as well as a substantial monetary fine, the lesser degrees of misdemeanors are often punished with a fine only.

Most states, however, allow for a third type of offense which is classified as an infraction. This normally deals with petty offenses and may vary from state to state. White collar crimes like embezzlement and financial frauds together with cyber crimes have also been included under felonies and misdemeanors depending on the severity of the particular offense. An entire list of agencies concerned with different types of crimes can be viewed by logging on to http://www.justice.gov/usao/wae/agency_contact/criminal_http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/offenses.html.

Property Crimes

The FBI has specifically categorized certain kinds of criminal offenses as property crimes. These may include burglary, larceny as well as motor vehicle thefts. Instances of arson are considered to be property crimes as well since they are often committed with an aim to destroy property. Statistics for 2007 fixed the number of property offenses in the U.S. at 9,843,481. You can view the latest trends for property offenses in the United States by accessing the U.S. Department of Justice resource at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/offenses/property_crime/http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/index.html. 

Violent Crimes

The Uniform Crime Reporting of the FBI has categorized violent crimes into four distinct kinds of criminal offenses. The UCR considers the use of undue force or the threat of using force as a violent crime. Murder, manslaughter as well as rape and aggravated assault are all considered as violent crimes with murder being the most serious offense. Robbery also comes under the category of violent crime as manhandling and assault are often associated with the act itself. All data related to violent crimes can be accessed at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/offenses/violent_crime/http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/index.html.

Crimes Reported

Federal agents are well equipped to make arrests and carry firearms for self defense. There are almost 36 federal officers per 100,000 U.S. citizens with the number rising to 1,662 per 100,000 residents in the District of Columbia alone. The number of officers is considerably less in the states of Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Iowa which have a lower crime rate. You can check out the data pertaining to the criminal offenses of the nation at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/arrests/http://www.peoplepublicrecords.org/index.html .

The UCR program of the FBI also helps to highlight the number of crimes committed in the country in order to create a feeling of awareness among the members of the general public. Various law enforcement agencies spread throughout the country are at liberty to participate in the program by submitting crime statistics. It is possible to go through the details of different types of crimes committed by simply logging in to http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm.