Victimless crime
A victimless crime is a crime where the perpetrators of the crime are consenting adult participants, and no-one else suffers as a result.
Examples of activities that can be categorized as victimless crimes in various societies at various times:
- adultery
- blasphemy
- use of illegal drugs, including alcohol in some jurisdictions
- homosexuality
- sex outside marriage
- belief in religions other than those locally sanctioned
- please add more to this list
Aguments for laws against victimless crimes
- Advocates of laws against victimless crimes often assert that they are essential for the preservation of morality, the greater good of society or the prevention of an offence against God.
- They may consider that the harm of the activity in question is so great that people should be protected against their own actions, regardless of their desires.
Aguments against laws against victimless crimes
Social libertarians believe that laws against victimless crimes should be abolished, as their is no rational or moral reason for them to exist.
Many activities that were once considered crimes are no longer illegal in some societies, at least in part because their status as victimless crimes.
Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do is a book by Peter McWilliams criticising the existence of laws against victimless crimes.
- this is a stub article -- please write more about this subject
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