Criminology and penology |
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A victimless crime is an illegal act that typically either directly involves only the perpetrator or occurs between consenting adults.[1] Because it is consensual in nature, whether there involves a victim is a matter of debate.[1][2] Definitions of victimless crimes vary in different parts of the world and different law systems,[1] but usually include possession of any illegal contraband, recreational drug use, prostitution and prohibited sexual behavior between consenting adults, assisted suicide, and smuggling among other similar infractions.[1][3]
In politics, a lobbyist or an activist might use the term victimless crime with the implication that the law in question should be abolished.[4]
Victimless crimes are, in the harm principle of John Stuart Mill, "victimless" from a position that considers the individual as the sole sovereign, to the exclusion of more abstract bodies such as a community or a state against which criminal offenses may be directed.[5] They may be considered offenses against the state rather than society.[1]