statutory offense
Học thuậtThân thiện
A police officer explains a statutory offense to a driver during a traffic stop.
Definition
Noun: A statutory offense is a crime specifically defined and prohibited by a written law (a statute) enacted by a legislative body, such as a parliament or congress. It is an act that is criminal because a statute declares it to be so, rather than because it was considered a crime under historical common law principles.
Usage
This term is used in legal contexts to classify crimes based on their origin in statutory law. It distinguishes crimes created by legislation from those originating from judicial precedent (common law crimes).
Examples
- The new law against data tampering created a statutory offense with severe penalties.
- Driving under the influence is a statutory offense in all jurisdictions.
- The prosecutor charged the corporation with a statutory offense for violating environmental regulations.
Advanced Usage
- "Strict liability statutory offense": A category of statutory offense where the prosecution does not need to prove the defendant's mental state (), only that the prohibited act was committed.
- Selling alcohol to a minor is often a strict liability statutory offense.
Variants and Related Words
- Statutory crime: A direct synonym for statutory offense.
- Statutory rape: A specific type of statutory offense where an adult engages in sexual activity with a minor, defined as illegal solely based on the victim's age, regardless of consent.
- Common law offense: The contrasting category; a crime established by historical custom and court decisions rather than by statute.
Synonyms
- Statutory crime
- Legislative crime
- Criminal offense (when the offense originates from a statute)
Related Phrases
- Violation of statute: A phrase describing the act of breaking a statutory law, which may result in being charged with a statutory offense.
- His actions constituted a clear violation of statute.
A police officer explains a statutory offense to a driver during a traffic stop.
Noun
- crimes created by statutes and not by common law