Chapter 8 - Crimes Against Public Order and Decency

These flashcards cover the definitions and concepts related to Crimes Against Public Order and Decency as discussed in Chapter 8.

Breach of the Peace

A willful act that disturbs public tranquility for which there is no legal justification.

Fighting Words

Words that have a tendency to incite violence from the person they are directed at; not protected by the First Amendment.

Disorderly Conduct

Minor offenses that disturb the peace or behavior standards of a community.

Vagrancy

Laws focusing on idle persons; prohibits loitering in certain places at certain times.

Public Intoxication

An offense involving being drunk in a public place.

Unlawful Assembly

A meeting of 3 or more persons intending to disturb the peace with violent execution.

Riot

A tumultuous disturbance of the peace by three or more persons acting with a common intent.

Weapons Offenses

Laws regulating the sale, possession, and carrying of weapons.

Obstructing Highway or Public Passage

The act of blocking access to public areas, interfering with law enforcement or traffic.

Animal Abuse

Indicative of sociopathic tendencies, often escalating to abuse against humans.

Harassment

Insults, communications, or actions that incite violence or cause offense.

Lewdness

Behavior that is obscene, lewd, lascivious, or indecent.

Pornography

Material deemed obscene based on community standards and lacking serious value.

Sodomy

Crimes against nature involving sexual acts with humans or animals.

Seduction and Fornication

Inducing consent for a sexual act through fraud or fear; unlawful intercourse between unmarried persons.

Adultery

Consensual sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than their spouse.

Bigamy

Knowingly contracting a second marriage while already married, considered a crime against the family.

Prostitution

Indiscriminate sexual intercourse for hire.

Pandering

The act of procuring or securing a person to satisfy the lust of another.