Personal Crime Analysis

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The basic definition of homicide is the killing of one human being by another human being. To advance past the basic definition, one must be aware of the various types of homicide. Homicide has three fundamental components justifiable, criminal, and excusable. Taking at brief glance at the three fundamentals, one will begin with justifiable homicide. A justifiable homicide is the killing of a person allowed by the law, for the good of civilization, and in some cases self-defense unless classified as excusable. “Justifiable homicides are those that are permitted under law, as in the case of a state-ordered execution or a military killing of an enemy solider in the line of duty” (Schmalleger, 2010, p. 192). An excusable homicide holds a person at fault for the homicide, but does not classify the homicide as criminal. Excusable homicide is a criminal act but it not forbidden under the law. An example of an excusable homicide is “a death caused by a vehicular accident in which the driver was not negligent, for example, would probably be excusable” (Schmalleger, 2010, p. 192). As mentioned earlier self-defense can be an excusable homicide as well, because it would be a killing which was carried out in away allowed under criminal law. Criminal homicide is a homicide that holds one criminally liable for the killing of another person. Criminal homicide is the knowing or negligent act of killing a human by another human being. There are three additional components of criminal homicide, “criminal homicide may be classified as murder, manslaughter, or negligent homicide” (Schmalleger, 2010, p. 192). Murder and manslaughter are unlawful murders, one consists of malice and advanced planning; murder and the other one, manslaughter has no malice and there is no premeditation. Of course, there are unlawful acts of murder based on involuntary manslaughter, which is an

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