Bryan McAllister’s personal reference notebook
August 2, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
A quiet encyclopedia with a personal desk
Kept by Bryan McAllister — short guides, clear facts, and the Canadian angle when it matters.
Civic Brief • General

Crime

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

Updated August 2, 20261 min readCited sources

Crime is conduct prohibited by law and punishable by public authority. What counts as crime depends on the laws of each jurisdiction.

What it is

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.

How it's studied

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

Scope and reference works

Encyclopedias of crime often take an international or historical approach, covering notable cases, people, places, and events. Large handbooks organize entries alphabetically or thematically with bibliographies and indexes.

In short

  • Crime is defined by law and varies by jurisdiction.
  • Criminology studies crime, offenders, and social responses.
  • Reference works organize crime topics by type, theory, and institutions.
  • Historical study covers notable cases across periods and countries.
Canadian angle

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.

Quick 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.

Sources

  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.