Criminal Justice

Discuss the differences between terrorism and other criminal acts. Let’s first talk about what a terrorist is. A terrorist is defined as “a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism” (terrorist , 2012). Now, terrorism is when violence and intimidation and threats are used for fear and submission. It is normally used for political or religious purposes. It is a method or process of governing or of opposing a government. Terrorism is used to provoke fear and insecurity in the world.
Any individual can be a terrorist. Terrorists are usually part of a group. There can be any number of reasons why a terrorist group or a person in a terrorist group would target and commit and act of terrorism. Any person can be a terrorist. Terrorists commit these acts to provoke fear and insecurity. Terrorists have different reasons for what they do but some of the major purposes of terrorism are to bring about political change, create psychological terror and to attain specific goals associated with their organization. Terrorists want the media attention and for their acts of violence to get and gain such attention.
Criminal acts are “Any crime, including an act, omission, or possession under the laws of the United States or a State or unit of general local government, which poses a substantial threat of personal injury, notwithstanding that by reason of age, insanity, intoxication or otherwise the person engaging in the act, omission, or possession was legally incapable of committing a crime” (CRIMINAL ACT, 2012). An example of a criminal act would be an individual robbing a bank, setting a bomb in a bank with the intent to cause chaos and create a diversion so that they can commit a bank robbery.
My next objective is to provide an analysis of crimes associated with terrorism and how they differ from street crimes. First, let’s talk about what street crime is. Street crime is illegal activity in the public domain, usually in a city or town, for example...