Laws on Rape, Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Robbery

The United States is one of the world's super powers. Like any other country, it experiences the challenge of crimes committed against people too. The FBI has shown that the rate of violent crimes committed in the US has been declining for the past two decades. Violent crimes can be classified into types that include rape, murder, aggravated assault, and robbery. Statistically, the rate of crimes committed to people in 2016 decreased by 1.1% when it is compared with those reported in 2015. The rates of crimes against people vary across regions. For example, the FBI reports that in 2016, there was a positive change in the rate of 2.0% in murder cases in Northeast region and 1.2% in Midwest (Federal Bureau of Investigation). Therefore, this research paper examines the different types of crimes committed against persons in the US, their characteristics, and laws that have been established to deal with them.

Stich (32) showed that crimes against person refer to those crimes that involve harm to the human body, threat to the human body, or actions that are done contrary to one's will. They can be classified into different types that include assault, aggravated assault, harassment, hate crimes, kidnapping, stalking, murder, domestic violence, and child abuse among others. Assault is committed when an individual tries or strikes another physically or acts in a way that threatens the life of another person. Aggravated assault occurs when an individual tries or causes severe injury to a person or causes severe injury using a deadly weapon. Battery is defined at intentional or harmful touching of an individual without seeking their consent. In 2015, the rate of assault and aggravated assault in the US was 230 cases in every 100,000 people (Stevens 14). This was a considerable decline when compared to 240 cases per 100,000 people in 2010. The US government has enacted Assault Law that aims at providing justice to victims of assault and aggravated assault. In fact, assault is punishable by jailing the criminals to up to one year and fines. Aggravated assault is considered serious, and one is sentenced to 10 and 20 years imprisonment and or fines.

Murder is another form of crime against persons that is common in the US. It is defined as the process where an individual with sound discretion and mind takes the life of another by killing and in the process destabilizes the state of the peace in the family, community, and the state as a whole. Murder can be classified into types that include first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and manslaughter. A first-degree murder occurred when taking of life was done willing fully. A second-degree murder occurs when a person takes another's life willing fully with a sound mind, however, due to the influence of factors such as self-defense. Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of another without malice. It can occur due to quarrels or in anger of passion. In 2015, the number of murder cases in the US was 15, 600. Its numbers varied considerably across the states with California leading with 1850 cases of murder in the same year. Murder is punishable US Code 111 that governs the legal measures that should be adopted when it occurs. Normally, first-degree murder is punishable by death or life imprisonment. Second-degree murder is punishable for any term of years or life sentencing. Manslaughter is punishable by life sentencing or imprisoned for a specified term (Douglas and Olshaker 55).

Sexual violence such as rape is the third form of crime against people in the US. Rape involves the engagement in sexual intercourse or any form of sexual penetration without the consent of the other party. It can be with force or without it and involves the use of one's sex organ, foreign object or another part of the body without seeking consent from the victim. From the rape statistics by the US Department of Justice, the average number of rape incidences reported annually in the US is 89,000. The percentage of women who report incidences of attempted and or complete rape is 16%. The average rate of men who report completed or attempted rape is 3% annually. The rate of rapes executed when both the perpetrator as well as the victim had been drinking leads with an average of 47% annually (Department of Justice). Individuals who commit rape crime are punishable under rape law. Normally, an individual found guilty of aggravated rape can be imprisoned for a term of specific years or life imprisonment or both. Rape is punished by imposing a fine, imprisoning one for not more than twenty years in jail or both. Rape of minors is punished by a jail term not exceeding 15 years or fine or both. Rape that results in death is punishable by death or jail term for any number of years or life imprisonment.

Harassment and hate crimes are another form of crimes committed against people in the US. Hate crimes entail the use of threat or force based on ethnicity, age, race, disability, or sexual orientation. On the other hand, harassment is a pattern of behavior that aims at annoying, terrorizing, or causing serious harm to another person. It often results in considerable emotional distress. The various forms of harassment include cyberstalking, stalking, and menacing. The Federal anti-stalking and harassment law protects the US citizens against these forms of crimes. Individuals convicted of harassment and stalking crimes are either jailed or fined, or both.

The other form of crime against people in the US is kidnapping. Kidnapping is the process of taking an individual from a place to another contrary to their will or confining them to a controlled location. It is often associated with the kidnappers demanding forms of payment such as money for the kidnapped to be released. Presently, at least 9% of children in the US who go missing are kidnapped by members of their family with 3% being kidnapped by non-family members. In most cases, the child knows the kidnapper. Kidnappers are punishable under the Federal Kidnapping Act of 1932. Most of the states have their own version of this law that plays the role of providing justice to the victims of kidnapping. Perpetrators of kidnapping often receive a judgment that includes jail sentencing of a given number of years, fine, or probation.

Domestic violence is the other form of crime against people in the US. It is defined as the willful physical assault, intimidation, sexual assault, battery, and other forms of abusive behavior perpetrated by a partner towards another. It covers physical, sexual, psychological, as well as emotional abuse towards an individual. Domestic violence statistics shows that a woman in the US is beaten or assaulted in every nine seconds. It causes more injuries to women more than road accidents do. Federal Domestic Laws such as Violence Against Women Act and Gun Control Act have been enacted in the US to manage domestic violence. In fact, any persons who violate their provisions are liable to be jailed for any period considered practical by the court.

Overall, various crimes against people are committed on a daily basis. They include harassment, domestic violence, assault, murder, and rape among others but laws enacted have ensured that such issues are addressed amicably. However, it has not facilitated their elimination to the lowest levels possible. Therefore, it is essential that mechanisms that aim at strengthening on their effectiveness should be embraced.

Works Cited

Department of Justice. "Rape Statistics -- Statistic Brain." N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2017.

Douglas, John, and Mark Olshaker. The Cases That Haunt Us. Simon and Schuster, 2012

Federal Bureau of Investigation. "Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January -- June 2016." FBI. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2017.

Stevens, Dennis J. An Introduction to American Policing. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2017

Stich, Captain Rodney. DOJ-Judicial Crimes Against the People. Silverpeak Publisher, 2014