The essence of individual crimes

Abstract

The purpose of this article is presentation of the exiting studies on the nature of individual crimes and identification of the main attributes of these acts. In the author’s opinion this subject matter has been neglected by scholars and therefore needs a more thorough analysis. First, the author points to the inaccuracies concerning the very name this category of prohibited acts has been given, and the abuse of the term ‘crime’ when referring to those acts. After that, he specifies which types of norms apply to these types of acts. He also describes the differences between individual and common crimes, and draws attention to the considerable heterogeneity of individual crimes, as can be seen from the quantity of various attributes describing the perpetrators of these crimes. The number of classes of prohibited acts that are similar to individual crimes is an additional proof of that variety. The next step is to show the essential differences between prohibited acts and individual crimes, asking a question, though, whether making such distinction makes any sense. Finally, the key issue, which is the specification of the distinctive features differentiating individual crimes, is addressed. These are the features that are primarily responsible for the possibility of committing or not committing of a crime by anyone, which possibility is of a nature independent of the perpetrator, but relative to his relationship with the external world.