Crimes and offences
The Rule of Law in my country strictly distinquishes between crimes and offences. Crimes are more dangerous than offences.
A crime is a term of Criminal Law. It’s investigated and judged along the Criminal Proceeding Code by police at first, than prosecutor sends a prosecution or punishment motion to the court, where a trial takes place. During criminal proceeding the perpetrator, if found guilty, is punished along the Penal Code, even may be sent to prison.
An offence is a term of Administrative Law. It’s investigated along the Police Code by the police too, but after that police handed it to the local authority, which proceeds action along the Administrative Proceeding Code and punishes offenders along the Offence Code. Neither prosecutor nor judge takes part in offence proceedings. The offender can’t be sent to prison during such proceeding, he or she is usually fined.
Here are 2 examples which show differences between a crime and an offence in my country:
1.
- who steals more than 5 000,- Czech crown, commits a crime
- who steals less then 5 000,- Czech crown, commits an offence,
2.
- who assaults and hurts another person, commits a crime if the treatmet of such injury lasts longer than 7 days,
- if the treatment lasts less than 7 days it’s not a crime, but an offence.