In order to classify crime we must start with defining it, Herrero Herrero defines crime as "the social phenomenon constituted by all the infractions, against the fundamental norms of coexistence, produced in a certain time and place".
An elementary definition indicates that "crime is the behavior resulting from the failure of the individual to adapt to the demands of the society in which he lives."
In October 1999 in a press release issued by the Tampere European Council, it encompasses different realities such as:
- Crime in its own sense. Crime with a less serious but more frequent level of criminal offense. Violence that affects the most diverse media. Lack of civility, which includes associal or antisocial behavior.
There are essentially two types of crime:
Minor crime is commonly committed by one individual and when many two, aiming at the commission of a crime that could range from a minor offense to a serious and qualified one, and characteristic of this type of crime is that it is not committed by gangs, not There is great planning in criminal acts or it is not operated on a large scale, this crime is the most common, popular, the one we see almost daily and the one we are most afraid of, such as:
- Assault on passers-by. Carterism. Violation. Theft of minor goods and articles. Theft of dwelling houses. Theft of vehicles. Vandalism. Graffiti and painting of walls and monuments.
The other division is organized crime, it is the collective crime that rationally instrumentalizes the institutional violence of private and public life, in the service of business profits, this crime is the activity carried out by three or more people that exists for a certain time and that I acted with the purpose of committing one or more typified crimes with a view to obtaining, directly or indirectly, economic benefit or material benefit.
Some of the crimes that are committed in this type of crime are: drug trafficking, illegal migration, trafficking in human beings, child pornography, extortion, fraud, falsification, robbery, car trafficking, etc.
There is another classification of crime:
Circumstantial crime is the commission of crimes or crimes by ordinary people, who overnight are involved in criminal acts determined by the context and circumstances. In this category there is no planning or premeditation, however circumstantial crime differs from an accident, because in it elements of judgment can be established that can be aggravating criminal responsibility, fraud is the intention with which it is committed, contumacy and treachery, in cruelty with which crime is committed.
A series of environmental or variables such as time, space and personal variables such as behavior, physical responses, verbal or non-verbal expressions also influence, which when interacting with third parties cause behavioral outcomes typified by law as crimes or crimes.
Examples of circumstantial crime are:
- Violations in a state of drunkenness, gender aggressions, homicide in self-defense, private tax evasion, attempts or fights resulting in death, some types of sexual abuse, violation of traffic laws, etc.
Instrumental crime is the most common expression and is directly related to chronic, career or trade criminals whose way of living and being does not coincide with respect to the parameters established by law, acts or criminal conduct is conceived as a means that it serves to achieve the achievement of material goods, species and amounts of money that otherwise or under the norms dictated by law, would be impossible to achieve or obtain.
Examples of instrumental crime are:
- Common crime Neck and tie crime Organized crime Police, political, judicial or public officials corruption Assassins Drug trafficking
Expressive crime corresponds to a category of crimes or crimes determined by psychopathological dysfunctions, therefore its strict attribution is individual, that is, from person to person and it is not applicable to organizations or regimes, whether authoritarian or dictatorial, this category is recognized as when At the time of committing a crime or crime, he incurs an exaggeration or irrational disproportion between the criminal form and the achievement of objectives.
Some examples of expressive crime are:
- Serial killers and aggressors Mass murderers Feminicides Terrorists Racists Aggressors, swindlers, abusers and serial rapists.
We cannot ignore juvenile delinquency. These crimes are committed by young people or minors, this type of crime usually receives great attention from the media and politicians. This is because the level and types of youth crimes can be used by analysts and the media as an indicator of the general state of morals and public order in a country and as a consequence can be strong of alarm and moral panic, the Crime committed by youth has increased since the mid-20th century.
