Some Definitions of Criminal Acts

· Arson: Purposely setting fire to a house or other building or vehicle.

· Assault: Threatening to do, or trying to do, or actually doing bodily harm to another person.

· Blackmail: Demanding money from somebody in return for not revealing secret or unpleasant information about them.

· Bribery: Giving or receiving a reward for a dishonest action, such as a policeman accepting money from someone who has committed a crime, so that the person will not be prosecuted.

· Burglary: Entering the premises of another person with intent to commit a crime within; or, having entered the premises of another, then committing a crime.

· Disorderly conduct: Behaving in such a way that the quiet and comfort of other people is disturbed or their sense of what is right and decent is offended.

· Forgery: Signing another person’s name, or changing something that is written on a cheque or document. This is done by a dishonest person in order to get something that is not rightfully his or hers or to win some other advantage.

· Fraud, also known as Theft by Fraud: Cheating another person out of something he or she owns.

· Hijacking:Seizing control of a vehicle, especially an aircraft, in order to force it to go to a new destination or demand something from a government in return for the safety of its passengers and crew.

· Joy Riding: Going for a ride in a motor vehicle without the owner’s permission. This is a crime even if the vehicle is returned.

· Kidnapping:Taking away (a child or a person) and keeping him/her by force (usually asking for money to be paid before he/she is released).

· Larceny/ Stealing/ Theft: Taking something that belongs to another person without that person’s consent. Larceny is the term used for theft in the United States.

· Mugging: Attacking somebody (e.g. in a dark street, a lift, an empty corridor, etc.) violently and robbing.

· Murder: Intentionally or recklessly killing another human being. Homicide simply means killing a human being. Manslaughter is killing a human being without malice. It is not murder, according to the law, to kill someone accidentally or in self-defence, or to kill an enemy of one’s country in time of war.

· Perjury: Telling a lie after swearing to tell the truth, usually in a court of law.

· Pickpocketing: Stealing money or things from people’s pockets or bags in public places.

· Rape: Unlawful sexual intercourse with a female, by force or without consent.

· Robbery: Taking something away from another person by force, or frightening that person into letting it be taken.

· Shoplifting: Stealing from a shop by hiding things in a bag or in the clothes.