OFFENSE

Behavior (by action or omission) that is prohibited by law and carries a penalty.

The person who commits an offense is an offender

Continuing offense

Offense in which a characteristic of the commission is duration, as opposed to an instantaneous offense, and unlike a permanent offense

Instant offense

Immediate offense

Permanent offense

An offense whose consequences extend over time. The time factor affects the consequences of the offense, not its commission, as is the case with a continuing offense

The three main types of criminally sanctioned offenses which are distinguished among themselves are contraventions, misdemeanors and felonies. These distinctions are intended to highlight:

• their respective gravity,
• the types of penalties incurred,
• the competent courts ,
• the possibilities of penal composition,
• limitation periods .

The contravention is the least serious offense: irregular parking, slight assault and battery , etc.

the contraventions are themselves divided into 5 categories, from the least serious (category 1) to the most serious (category 5)

Then comes the offense : abandonment of family , sexual assault without rape, manslaughter, theft,   etc.

The crime is the most serious offense: murder, murder, terrorism, rape, etc.