What is a "victimless crime"?

[radcen]

What is a "victimless crime"?

Give examples of what is, and maybe even what is not that you have seen some others say is.

What criteria do you use for your definition?

From your point-of-view, not somebody else's definition.

 

[azgreg]

Drug possession.

 

[Quag]

What is a "victimless crime"?

Give examples of what is, and maybe even what is not that you have seen some others say is.

What criteria do you use for your definition?

From your point-of-view, not somebody else's definition.

I suppose suicide, because the one who commits it is also the victim. Yes it has repercussions that affect others but they aren't the victims

 

[ttwtt78640]

A built (installed?) to code electrical sub-panel with associated branch circuit wiring not signed off by a master electrician. Many areas have laws on the books requiring that certain work be done only by licensed "insiders" (e.g. master electrician) and inspectors are prohibited from passing equally good (safe?) work absent that prerequisite.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Carrying a handgun without a license.

 

[Captain Adverse]

A crime where the only "victim" is either the perpetrator himself, or any combination of consenting adults.

Examples would include (but not limited to) drug possession/use, gambling, suicide, prostitution.

 

[MACS-24]

A crime where the only "victim" is either the perpetrator himself, or any combination of consenting adults.

Examples would include any form of drug possession/use, drunk driving, gambling, suicide, prostitution.

With the population density in most places, I have a hard time with drunk driving being a victimless crime.

 

[Captain Adverse]

With the population density in most places, I have a hard time with drunk driving being a victimless crime.

I edited that from my first post because I knew it would cause an argument.

However, DRIVING drunk (or under the influence of any drug) in and of itself is victimless. Causing an accident which harms others or the property of others while doing so is another story entirely.

 

[HonestJoe]

Lots of perfectly valid answers here as the basic principle is fairly clear. I do think it should be pointed out that just because a crime doesn’t directly have victims it still have the potential to cause harm indirectly (drug possession playing a part in supporting the wider illegal drug industry being the classic example). There are also examples which don’t necessarily have victims but are illegal because of the increased risk of creating victims (such as drink-driving or the regulatory safety examples).

 

[Dragonfly]

Growing your own marijuana.

 

[jimbo]

Most of the sex crimes. Prostitution in particular, but there are any number of crimes which amount to actions of consenting adults on the books.

 

[MACS-24]

I edited that from my first post because I knew it would cause an argument.

However, DRIVING drunk (or under the influence of any drug) in and of itself is victimless. Causing an accident which harms others or the property of others while doing so is another story entirely.

Yeah, that's a tough one for me, maybe 'cause I'm a big fan of beer and always rationalize my past bad behavior, lol. But these days victimless DUI too easily can involve others. Unless you're lucky enough to still live out in wide-open spaces.

 

[ttwtt78640]

With the population density in most places, I have a hard time with drunk driving being a victimless crime.

It is a form of distracted driving which elevates the risk of harm to others (non-consenting parties).

 

[Captain Adverse]

Yeah, that's a tough one for me, maybe 'cause I'm a big fan of beer and always rationalize my past bad behavior, lol. But these days victimless DUI too easily can involve others. Unless you're lucky enough to still live out in wide-open spaces.

It is a form of distracted driving which elevates the risk of harm to others (non-consenting parties).

The point is that a "potential" for harm to someone else does not make the activity itself a "victim-crime."

That is the problem with "Nanny-State" ideology, which developed over time as people sought to blame other's and thereby obtain recompense for things they themselves could act to prevent.

Lady buy's "hot" coffee from MacDonalds and "accidentally" spills it on herself...lawsuit.

Kid swallows a toy YOU bought for him...lawsuit.

Now we have warning labels, regulations, and laws on just about everything to protect us from ourselves.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure has morphed into a TON of protection is worth the hassles of negotiating all the laws and regulations we could not possibly know we might be violating.

We are such an over-regulated society these days, all due to "potential harms" we seek to prevent, that IMO our liberty has been seriously and unnecessarily curtailed.

 

[MACS-24]

The point is that a "potential" for harm to someone else does not make the activity itself a "victim-crime."

That is the problem with "Nanny-State" ideology, which developed over time as people sought to blame other's and thereby obtain recompense for things they themselves could act to prevent.

Lady buy's "hot" coffee from MacDonalds and "accidentally" spills it on herself...lawsuit.

Kid swallows a toy YOU bought for him...lawsuit.

Now we have warning labels, regulations, and laws on just about everything to protect us from ourselves.

We are such an over-regulated society these days, all due to "potential harms" we seek to prevent, that IMO our liberty has been seriously and unnecessarily curtailed.

I agree, except "we seek to prevent",(EDIT to add as it pertains to your list above) more like too many lawyers who love to seek the next loophole for monetary gain.

However, I was okay with some DUI regulations (compromise) until they started lowering the BAC more and more - it's insane.



Have to log out - way late for work.

 

[ttwtt78640]

The point is that a "potential" for harm to someone else does not make the activity itself a "victim-crime."

That is the problem with "Nanny-State" ideology, which developed over time as people sought to blame other's and thereby obtain recompense for things they themselves could act to prevent.

Lady buy's "hot" coffee from MacDonalds and "accidentally" spills it on herself...lawsuit.

Kid swallows a toy YOU bought for him...lawsuit.

Now we have warning labels, regulations, and laws on just about everything to protect us from ourselves.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure has morphed into a TON of protection is worth the hassles of negotiating all the laws and regulations we could not possibly know we might be violating.

We are such an over-regulated society these days, all due to "potential harms" we seek to prevent, that IMO our liberty has been seriously and unnecessarily curtailed.

I see your point but things like tossing (or dumping) trash along the roadways, driving while distracted or building unsafe structures often do cause harm. I guess you could wait until there is an identifiable victim but why?

Many of those silly warning labels are to protect the product (ladder) maker from lawsuits while requirements for spacing deck or ADA ramp railing pickets like crib slats make sense only if you plan to leave infants on them. I hate those (Harry/Harriet Homeowner?) circular saws that have trigger safeties on them yet fortunately they do allow sales of "professional" models that lack them.

 

[jimbo]

Yeah, that's a tough one for me, maybe 'cause I'm a big fan of beer and always rationalize my past bad behavior, lol. But these days victimless DUI too easily can involve others. Unless you're lucky enough to still live out in wide-open spaces.

If you go down the road that being drunk in public is victimless until you kill somebody, then firing my .44 off my porch is victimless until I kill somebody. I'm not willing to go that far.

 

[Skeptic Bob]

A victimless crime is a crime that doesn’t directly harm another person against their will. I say “directly” because you can apply the butterfly effect to anything.

 

[Helix]

What is a "victimless crime"?

in some states, smoking pot in your own house.

 

[Lursa]

Self-employed prostitution

 

[B'smith]

Other people have listed most of the obvious & more noteworthy victimless crimes however, no one has mentioned making your own firecrackers especially when they're large enough to dislodge a tree stump or send an old refrigerator flying 20'. That's got to be too much fun to be legal.

Other victimless crimes I haven't seen already listed is owning a fully automatic / select fire firearm, smuggling cigarettes into NYC, driving w/o a seatbelt, expired license, decals, riding a motorcycle w/o a helmet, carrying a firearm into a "Gun Free" zone but I'm not sure about running with scissors.

 

[Sampson Simpson]

Prostitution, gambling, drug possession, even selling.

 

[Rexedgar]

I edited that from my first post because I knew it would cause an argument.

However, DRIVING drunk (or under the influence of any drug) in and of itself is victimless. Causing an accident which harms others or the property of others while doing so is another story entirely.

I have to call BS on that argument. The driver setting out high/drunk has no idea how the journey will turn out.

 

[Soopairik]

Gambling and drug possession like others have pointed out.

 

[MACS-24]

I have to call BS on that argument. The driver setting out high/drunk has no idea how the journey will turn out.

Well, that is true for everything that a person can do.