crime of passion

Information about crime of passion

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triangular love scene as seen by painter Ingres in this scene of The Divine Comedy (Dante Alighieri). Jealousy is a strong feeling involved in such a crime profile.


A crime of passion, in popular usage, refers to a crime in which the perpetrator commits a crime, especially assault or murder, against a spouse or other loved one because of sudden strong impulse such as a jealous rage or heartbreak rather than as a premeditated crime. A typical crime of passion, for example, might involve a husband who discovers his wife has made him a cuckold and proceeds to brutally batter or even kill his wife or the man with whom she was involved. While the concept of the crime of passion is not officially recognized in law, it is sometimes used by defense lawyers because in popular opinion, if not in courts of law, the commission of murder or of grievous bodily harm is viewed more sympathetically when it is a crime of passion.

Societies in which honor forms a governing principle may react similarly to altercations caused by personal insults or may defer immediate action preferring to consult among family members and act in concert.

In some countries, notably France, crime passionnel (or crime of passion) was a valid defense during murder cases; during the 19th century, some cases could be a custodial sentence for two years for the murderer, while the spouse was dead; this ended in France as the Napoleonic code was updated in the 1970s so that a specific father's authority upon his whole family was over.

See also

A cuckold is a married man whose wife has sex with other men. In current usage it sometimes refers to non-married couples in committed relationships as well, although the traditional meaning is a man whose wife is adulterous.
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LAW may refer to:
  • Lightweight Anti-tank Weapon, like the M72 LAW (US Army) and the LAW 80 (British Army)
  • Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights (also known as LAW)
  • League of American Bicyclists, formerly known as the League of American Wheelmen

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Crimes


Classes of crime
Infraction  · Misdemeanor  · Felony
Summary  · Indictable  · Hybrid

Against the person
Assault  · Battery
Extortion  · Harassment
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Criminal law in English law
Part of the common law series
Classes of crimes
Summary  · Indictable
Hybrid offence  · Regulatory offences
Lesser included offence
Elements of crimes
Actus reus  · Causation
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Honour or honor (see spelling differences), is the evaluation of a person’s trustworthiness and social status based on that individual's espousals and actions.
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Motto
Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem
"La Marseillaise"


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A custodial sentence is a judicial sentence, imposing a punishment (and hence the resulting punishment itself) consisting of mandatory custody of the convict, either in prison (incarceration) or in some other closed therapeutic and/or (re)educational institution, such as a
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The Napoleonic Code, or Code Napoléon (originally called the Code civil des Français) was the French civil code, established under Napoléon I. It was drafted rapidly by a commission of four eminent jurists and entered into force on March 21, 1804.
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honor killing is the murder of a victim by, or at the behest of, close family members with the aim of undoing the loss, or perceived loss, of wider family status owing to the actions or status of the victim.
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