In simple words,any individual who commits crime directly or indirectly is called by the term ‘Perpetrator’.
Crimes committed directly by the perpetrator or the offender are directly liable for his/her actions. There are few situations in which the perpetrator directs or abets the other person to commit the crime or to carry it out on his/her behalf.These types of crimes are often called joint crimes and the liability imposed is called ‘Joint Liability’. One may,for example strangled someone to death by himself or may take assistance in helping him in out the criminal activity or drive a person to an extent where the person suicides.Usually, this term is only used for people who commit illegal acts or crimes.This word is frequently misused since it is based on a state of reality in which a person has either committed an illegal conduct or has been found guilty and legally convicted. A flawed judicial system that does not always apprehend criminals or prosecute true perpetrators can still produce perpetrators through conviction – a person who is innocent of a crime can still be convicted.
In Indian Laws, a perpetrator is often called ‘Offender’ rather than a perpetrator.The violation of rules or laws for which some governing body (through processes such as legal systems) can eventually prescribe a conviction is referred to as a crime. Various human communities may have diverse definitions of crime and offences. While every crime is a violation of the law, not every violation of the law is a crime. For example: breaches of contract and of other civil laws may rank as “offences” or as “infractions”. In common usage, the terms criminal, culprit, perpetrator, and offender are essentially interchangeable, with minor variances in who uses them and when.In modern countries, crimes are distinguished from torts as offences against the public or the state. The latter are offences against private parties that can give rise to a civil cause of action. When informal associations and sanctions fail to develop and sustain the intended social order, a government or state may impose more formalised or tougher social control systems. Agents of the state can use institutional and legal machinery to force people to adhere to norms, and they can choose to punish or reform those who do not.
This word is widely abused in anti-crime organisations. For example, a police officer referring to a witness description may identify the person depicted as a suspect when, in fact, he or she is a criminal. One way to think about the distinction is that a single perpetrator crime may have multiple suspects even though only one individual did the crime. The real culprit is always the perpetrator, who may never even become a suspect during the course of the investigation.A person who is convicted of a crime is presumed to have committed that crime under various systems. The legal system is deemed definitive of the truth of a crime, and a conviction signifies that a person has truly committed the crime for all practical purposes. Once convicted, the criminal might be considered a perpetrator even if there are no witnesses to prove that he or she did the crime.Several legal systems rely on the notion that until a verdict is rendered, a person may or may not have committed a crime. Of course, there are actual perpetrators and real crimes, but this term is mostly applied to describe a notion. It is widely accepted that for every true crime, there is a true perpetrator, whether or not he or she is ever apprehended. Only in the case of conviction is the concept of a perpetrator and the actual person linked in the same body.
One intriguing question is whether or not there would be perpetrators in the absence of laws. One could argue that if there are no laws, there are no crimes, and thus no perpetrators. Perhaps a different system of good and wrong could preserve the concept of offenders even in the absence of a system designed to pursue them. Yet, the term’s meaning is dependent on an ordered set of rules.
Potential Sign of Perpetrator Behaviour
While perpetrators hunt for certain characteristics in potential victims, potential perpetrators might also show indicators and characteristics. These characteristics can be observed in both known and unknown potential perpetrators. Some of these indicators may include:
- Making an attempt to frighten or threaten people
- Jealousy, manipulation, and controlling behaviour
- Having a strong yearning for power
- experimenting with sexual and physical limits with prospective victims and others
Since you might not have known them as long as someone you know, determining whether or if a stranger is exhibiting alarming perpetrator behaviours may be more difficult. Strangers may show indicators like gazing or following people, as well as the behaviours outlined above. Take measures or avoid someone who makes you feel uncomfortable or in danger.
Categories of Perpetrators
There are three basic types of perpetrators based on the nature of the sexual assaults they perform, their relationship to the victim, their age, and the victim’s age.They are :
- Perpetrators of sexual abuse against children, both inside and outside the family
- perpetrators of sexual assault against adults, usually women;
- Juveniles who commit sexual assault are the three groups.
Yet, these groups are not mutually exclusive, as a single person may abuse both female adolescents and adult women.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PERPETRATOR AND ABUSER
| PERPETRATOR | ABUSER |
|
|
|
|
CONCLUSION
This article covers the concept of perpetrator and its definition. By comparing the definition of perpetrator from different studies it has been concluded that any individual or a group committing offence or a crime may be labelled to be a perpetrator and throughout the article i have also stated the difference between an abuser and a perpetrator, and characteristics and behaviour of a perpetrator.
References
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/perpetrator
https://www.egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/24190/1/Unit-1.pdf
https://www.italki.com/en/post/question-454329
https://academic.oup.com/book/5982/chapter-abstract/149340359?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://www.inspq.qc.ca/en/sexual-assault/understanding/perpetrators