Criminal law (2022): Crimes against the person

In criminal law, the term offense against the person or crime against the person usually refers to a crime which is committed by direct physical harm or force being applied to another person.

They are usually analyzed by division into the following categories:

Fatal offenses.

Sexual offences.

Non-fatal non-sexual offences.

They can be further analyzed by division into:

Assaults.

Injuries.

And it is then possible to consider degrees and aggravations, and distinguish between intentional actions (for example, assault) and criminal negligence (for example, criminal endangerment).

Offenses against the person are usually taken to comprise:

Fatal offenses.

Murder.

Manslaughter.

Non-fatal non-sexual offences.

Assault, or common assault.

Battery, or common battery.

Wounding or wounding with intent.

Poisoning.

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (and derivative offences).

Inflicting grievous bodily harm or causing grievous bodily harm with intent (and derivative offenses).

These crimes are usually grouped together in common law countries as a legacy of the Offenses against the Person Act 1861.

Although most sexual offences will also be offences against the person, for various reasons (including sentencing and registration of offenders) sexual crimes are usually categorised separately. Similarly, although many homicides also involve an offense against the person, they are usually categorized under the more serious category.