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While it may seem like all criminal offenses are charged and handled in the same way, there are actually four different types: property, personal, statutory, and inchoate crimes. Here are a few key things to know about each of them. If you have been charged with a crime and are in need of assistance, try calling your local criminal law firm in Columbia MD.

Property Crimes

This category includes burglary and theft. Burglary is your typical “breaking and entering” crime, meaning that someone entered a structure with the intent to commit a crime and stole or damaged something. On the other hand, theft, also known as larceny, involves someone stealing with intent to permanently deprive another’s a property without permission.

Personal Crimes

These include all of the crimes associated with violence: homicide, abuse, kidnapping, etc. These are called personal crimes because they refer to the actual person rather than the things associated with them.

Statutory Crimes

Popularly known as white-collar crimes, statutory crimes are non-violent in nature and are also broadly known as alcohol-related crimes, drug crimes, and traffic offenses. These are prohibitive in that the laws are well-known in advance and are aimed at discouraging people from committing them. Public intoxication, DUI’s, and refusing orders from a police officer are some other examples of statutory crimes.

Inchoate Crimes

These are crimes in which an individual took “a substantial step” towards committing a crime but never brought it to completion. Relevant examples include attempt, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting. “Liability” is attached to the offender for these types of crimes because of their involvement, even if it was not overt.

In conclusion, all 4 of these types of crimes fall under the system of criminal law, which is a set of legal rules that define what citizens can and cannot do. Keep in mind that federal, state, and local laws can differ widely on what is considered unlawful.