A crime is a guilty act (action or inaction), which is a danger to society and punishable in accordance with the criminal legislation of Russia. Thoughts, desires, intentions of a person that have not found application in real life, cannot be considered as such.
The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provides for the following categories of crime:
- Of minor gravity - a dangerous act committed by negligence or intentionally. An example of this type of crime is the threat of bodily harm. The maximum imprisonment in this case cannot exceed two years. This period may be reduced depending on mitigating circumstances.
- Of moderate gravity - an act involving imprisonment for up to five years, committed intentionally or through negligence. An example of such a crime: theft of another's property.
- Serious crimes - acts committed by a person through negligence or intentionally. The maximum sentence in this case is ten years in prison. An example of such an act may be theft, violation of the rules of the road, resulting in the death of more than two persons.
Separate grave crimes should always be classified, always committed on the personal intention of the offender. The term of imprisonment for such a guilty and dangerous act for society may be from ten years or more, up to life imprisonment. The death penalty in Russia, as a rule, does not apply.
This differentiation of crimes into categories is determined in turn by the type and amount of punishment. It is carried out taking into account such indicators as the nature of the danger of this act for society, the form of guilt. For example, a person who for the first time has committed a crime of minor gravity, in the case of complete repentance and admission of guilt, can be completely exempted from criminal liability or conditionally convicted. A citizen whose guilt for committing a particularly serious crime has been proved, regardless of the availability of a criminal record, remorse, etc., will fully suffer a deserved punishment. The distinction of crimes by severity is necessary from a legal point of view. Punishment, for example, for petty theft cannot be equated to that for murder.
In accordance with the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the category of “especially serious crimes” includes:
- murder committed in a particularly cruel way;
- grievous bodily harm;
- kidnapping;
- rape;
- human trafficking;
- violence against a minor;
- robbery on an especially large scale;
- legalization of tangible property obtained during the commission of a crime;
- diversion;
- receiving a bribe;
- Attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
The category of “especially serious crimes” can also include actions on the mass destruction of a certain group of people according to their racial or national characteristics (genocide), mass destruction of the environment, flora and fauna, as well as the conduct of activities that could lead to environmental disaster (ecocide )
In judicial practice of Russia, there is the concept of a statute of limitations, that is, the period of time that must elapse from the moment of a crime, if for some reason it remains unsolved, until it becomes impossible to prosecute the person who committed the crime. For particularly serious crimes, a maximum limitation period of twenty years is provided. The countdown begins from the moment the investigation of this case begins. For some crimes, a statute of limitations is not provided. For example, genocide. Unfortunately, as practice shows, the possibility of solving a crime committed several years ago is extremely small.