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Crime

Crime is conduct that is prohibited by law and punishable by a state or other authority.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 26, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

Crime is conduct that is prohibited by law and punishable by a state or other authority. In criminology and criminal justice, the term also refers to the study of offending, enforcement, courts, punishment, and related social responses. Crime is a legal concept in Canada as elsewhere, with offences defined through Canadian criminal law and studied in Canadian criminology and criminal justice scholarship.

Definition

Crime is generally understood as an act or omission prohibited by law and subject to legal penalty. Because laws differ between jurisdictions, the same conduct may be criminal in one place and lawful in another.

Criminology and criminal justice

Crime is a central subject in criminology and criminal justice, which examine offending, enforcement, punishment, and related institutions. Major reference works in the field cover topics such as crime types, policing, courts, corrections, victimology, and theory.

Historical and comparative study

Encyclopedias of crime have often taken an international or historical approach, covering notable cases, people, places, events, and developments across long time periods.

Reference works on the topic

Large encyclopedias and handbooks on crime and punishment typically organize material alphabetically or thematically and may include thousands of entries, bibliographies, and indexes.

Key facts

  • Crime is defined by law and therefore varies across jurisdictions.
  • Criminology studies crime, offenders, victims, and social responses to offending.
  • Crime and criminal justice references often cover law, policing, courts, corrections, and victimology.
  • Reference works on crime commonly organize topics by crime type, theory, institutions, and special populations.
  • Historical and comparative treatments of crime may span many countries and periods.
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Canadian context

Crime is a legal concept in Canada as elsewhere, with offences defined through Canadian criminal law and studied in Canadian criminology and criminal justice scholarship.

Frequently asked questions

What is crime?
Crime is conduct prohibited by law and punishable by a public authority.
Is crime the same everywhere?
No. What counts as crime depends on the laws of a specific jurisdiction.
What is criminology?
Criminology is the study of crime, offenders, victims, and the social response to crime.
What topics are included in crime encyclopedias?
They often cover crime types, law and justice, policing, corrections, theory, victimology, and criminal justice institutions.
Why do some references treat crime historically?
Because crime can be studied across periods and countries, including major cases, people, and institutions.

References

  1. Wiley-VCH — https://www.wiley-vch.de/en/areas-interest/finance-economics-law/law-crimonology-13la/criminology-13la7/the-encyclopedia-of-crime-and-punishment-978-1-118-51971-4
    Supports: Reference work scope, organization into core substantive areas, and coverage of crime, punishment, and criminal justice topics.
  2. NCJRS / Office of Justice Programs — https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/encyclopedia-criminology-and-criminal-justice-volume-1-5
    Supports: Scope of a major criminology and criminal justice encyclopedia, including over 500 entries and coverage of essential topics.
  3. NCJRS / Office of Justice Programs — https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/encyclopedia-world-crime
    Supports: Historical and international scope of an encyclopedia of world crime, including notable cases, persons, places, and events.
  4. Berkshire Publishing — https://www.berkshirepublishing.com/title/encyclopedia-of-crime-and-punishment/
    Supports: Description of an encyclopedia of crime and punishment as a reference source on crime, criminal justice, police science, and related topics.
  5. Goodreads — https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/832213.The_Encyclopedia_of_Crime
    Supports: General description of an encyclopedia addressing crime history, methodology, investigation, and crime types.