Crime And Intention Essay

The relationship between crime and intention

To begin with, this paper will investigate the Crime and the different reasons why they are committed and whether or not those who commit certain crimes with good intentions are blameless or not. In order to determine if a crime is acceptable in certain situations or not the term “crime” has to be defined and the different motives why people commit crimes have to be clarified. Most people’s understanding of a crime is that it is an action punishable by society. According to Oxford dictionary, crime is “an action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law.” Although this is the most common and generally accepted definition, there are many ambiguities regarding what it is that defines an action that is punishable. Who determines what actions are punishable and what actions are not? Also if the same act is committed in one society and is punishable, could it be committed in another society and not be punishable? Though there is a worldwide understanding of severe crime commitment and its punishments, including theft, murder, or abuse. I would like to convey a point through numerous examples and research that in many cases certain crimes are committed in good faith. Moreover this paper will also show the different theoretical justifications behind criminal acts.

The most important factor that should be looked into when investigating a criminal act is the motive of the crime. Why do people commit crimes? The first answer that people tend to think of is poverty. In today’s world, due to the depletion of natural resources and the continuous fight for power, basic human needs are not being met in many societies. This is a major factor that leads a normal person to turn t...

... middle of paper ...

... a fixed set of laws applied to crime committers, theorists, criminologists, and psychologists such as Michael R. Gottfredson and Cesare Lombardo have shown that it is possible to commit a crime in good faith. The question is should this exempt a criminal from the penalties he/she would face? I believe the response to that question can actually be within the hands of the criminal. When committing a crime, even in good faith, does the criminal expect to be punished or does he do so without fearing the consequences? The purpose of the essay was to raise controversies in people’s minds of such an issue and to show that humanity is not as cruel as it is portrayed through society and through the law, and it has done so through careful studies and real examples of cases where crime is not merely an action punishable by law but it can be a triumph with a story behind it.