What is Crime

Discussions regarding rights can become emotive, particularly when there is a conflict between individual and communal rights and responsibilities. While obligations, values, attitudes, and beliefs may appear to be individual, these things exist at the level of society as a whole, arising from social relationships and human association. The real effects are manifested in external indicators of sentiments such as religious doctrines, laws, and moral codes. Who is to say the image of someone facing unendurable suffering who calmly and rationally decides death is better than life. This is murder. Whether it be someone else’s life or their own, it is still the taking of a life, which is illegal. What is Crime?
A crime is any behavior that is punishable by imprisonment or fine (or both). In the United States, an act is considered criminal when Congress or a state or local legislative body has defined it as such. But why are some acts defined as crimes while others aren't? While whole books have been written on this subject, here a few straightforward reasons why crimes are crimes:
Many acts that we consider crimes today were considered crimes under English law when the United States became a country. In large part the U.S. adopted English law as its own.
Many crimes have their origin in moral precepts that originally were enforced by churches and were eventually taken over by the secular state.
Acts carried out with an antisocial or "evil" intent are usually considered worthy of punishment.
Acts that may have been acceptable at one time (such as physical punishment of a child, drinking while driving or sexual harassment) are redefined as crimes when society convinces lawmakers to criminalize them.
Ultimately, what is and is not a crime is, to an extent, arbitrary and a reflection of who has the power to decide, but with some notable exceptions. For example, drug laws, the most common crimes have been considered crimes for centuries and most people agree