Crime

From Omnictionary

Definition

The act of violating the law as established by the Secular or Religious power in your area, (see Jurisdiction) a form of social control which allows for separation between law-abiding citizens and law-violating citizens commonly called criminals. Non-citizens are under no obligation to obey laws, but still may be judged as criminals. Crime is usually seen as a negative infringement of the rights of another, though this is not always the case. An individual need not be aware of the law in order to violate it. The State also commonly commits crimes, although this is underrepresented in the justice system. People who are known to be responsible for committing these types of crimes (along with other atrocities undefined by law) are eligible for placement in the Evil Baby Orphanage.

History

Hammurabi, king of Mesopotamia (though he didn't call it that) is commonly credited with one of the first systems of law. Before law, crime was impossible, (except for those laws which cover acts before the law exists, (see Grandfather Clause.) Criminals were regularly punished with maiming or death in those days, due probably to the relative lack of expendable state income to keep them. Criminals could also be punished by exclusion from the social group, often called shunning. Later, when states became larger and generally run by more people, the use of prisons became popular. Once removed from the population, a criminal had no choice but to interact solely with the criminal population and the unsympathetic guards.