Legal Definitions - property crimes

Property crimes are criminal offenses where the perpetrator tries to gain an unlawful benefit or cause damage to someone else's property without using force or threatening to use force. Examples of property crimes include:

• Burglary: Breaking into someone's home or business to steal something.
• Theft: Taking someone else's property without their permission.
• Arson: Setting fire to someone else's property.

These crimes are called property crimes because they involve taking or damaging someone else's property. Even though arson can result in injury or death, it is still considered a property crime because the primary goal is to damage the property.

These examples illustrate the definition of property crimes because they all involve taking or damaging someone else's property without using force or threatening to use force. The perpetrator is trying to gain something for themselves or cause harm to someone else's property without physically harming anyone.