Infraction

The violation is a violation of rules that do not necessarily trigger a sanction.

Criminal

As a term of the criminal law the violation referred (French contravention; Italian contravvenzione; ndl overtreding; . Span falta ) the weakest form of a criminal offense (lower severity than the offense and the crime ). This tripartite division, which is typical of continental European law is based on the under Napoleon in the French Code Penal Impérial (1810 ) developed basic classification of offenses ( contravention - délit - crime ).

In the Federal Republic of Germany transgressions until its abolition by the Introductory Act to the Criminal Code ( EGStGB ) in the year 1974 were facts that could be punishable with imprisonment of up to 6 weeks or a fine of up to 500 DM (about petty theft ). Since the late 1960s most of transgression facts were gradually converted either in offense or offenses. Certain rules were also decriminalization as part of the reform.

In many other European and non-European jurisdictions (particularly the Roman legal system ) transgressions (in the sense criminally actionable petty offenses ) continue to exist. Take in practice on a mostly comparable with the German Administrative Offences position. Thus, about the transgression in Swiss law a " criminal offense of a minor nature " is sanctioned by " the imposition of a fine ." In Austria, there are, however, just as in Germany no criminal violations more: All offenses are either felonies or misdemeanors, while minor transgression acts which are punishable by administrative penalties ( administrative offense ), not to be taken as a rule as criminal offenses.

In the Anglo -Saxon legal system, there are different correspondences: While so-called in regions dependent on English common law systems of criminal law summary Offences knows ( criminal offenses that are, not condemned as a rule without indictment before a jury ), it is called in the United States of infractions which are offenses that can not be punished by imprisonment in minor cases and often not even as crime (crime ), but as civil cases are ( roughly comparable to administrative breaches).

Swell

• Criminal