Types of Crimes
On what basis misdemeanors and felonies are distinguished? What are the elements of a crime and defenses? What are white-collar crimes affecting businesses? If you are comfortable, discuss crimes or attempted crimes touched on in this chapter that you have personally experienced. I’m sure that every one of you has received an unsolicited commercial e-mail (SPAM). What protection is there against falling victim to such scams?
Felonies and Misdemeanors are two types of crimes committed in the states. Differentiating the two is usually vital for a judge while deciding if a person should be charged. Crimes that are considered to be less severe such as thefts, traffic offenses, and drug deals, are known as Misdemeanors crimes and are punished by imposing fines or serving temporal jail time. On the other hand, Felonies are crimes such as rape cases, grand thefts, and murder, which are considered to most serious crimes, and a prosecutor obtains an indictment from a grand jury before charging someone with a felony.
Elements of defense is another distinguishing factor between the Misdemeanors and Felonies. For someone charged with a felony needs a prosecutor before being charged, while for Misdemeanors, the defendant can either represent himself or hire an attorney.
White-collar crimes are crimes where someone is illegally obtaining money through businesses. Examples of white-collar crimes include; money laundering, embezzlement of funds, and security fraud. Sometimes, I experienced a crime via an app on my phone, which I was using to pay and receive money from clients but later came to find out it was insecure due to breaching. In a few hours, I was robbed a few dollars, but I immediately contacted my bank to help stop the charges and retrieve the money. I stopped using easy ways to make transactions, and now I prefer making my transactions through the bank.