In 2024, there were more than 14 million criminal offenses reported by law enforcement agencies that covered nearly 96% of the population of the country, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The types of crimes committed range in scope and severity from drug offenses to violent crimes such as assaults and murders.
Aspiring criminal justice professionals pursuing a
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
degree learn about the various types of crime. This knowledge serves as an important tool for professionals across numerous criminal justice professions.
Types of Crime
There is no set number of types of crime in the U.S., and many crimes can be categorized by type. For professionals working in criminal justice, including those focused on
criminology
, understanding the following types of crimes is vital.
Drug Crime
Federal law has put most drugs into one of five “schedules” based on their accepted medical use and their potential for dependency and misuse or abuse. Schedule I drugs, including heroin and ecstasy, are considered the most dangerous. Schedule V drugs, such as Robitussin AC and Lyrica, are considered the least dangerous.
While most state laws follow federal guidelines, this is not always the case. For example, while cannabis, or marijuana, is still a Schedule I drug according to federal law as of 2025, 40 different states, three territories, and the District of Columbia allow medical cannabis use. Twenty-four states, the District of Columbia, and two territories (Guam and the North Mariana Islands) allow recreational and/or nonmedical use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The different types of crimes related to drugs include possession, sales, manufacturing, and paraphernalia-related offenses. The penalties for such crimes vary significantly based on the severity of the crime, the volume of drugs in question, whether or not the accused sold or intended to sell those drugs, and whether the accused manufactured the drugs.
White-Collar Crime
A white-collar crime can be defined as a nonviolent crime committed by someone—or by an organization—with financial motivations, such as fraud or embezzlement. According to the FBI, white-collar crimes may not be violent in nature, but they certainly are not victimless. These crimes can destroy companies, rob people of a lifetime of savings, bankrupt investors, and even impact the national economy.
The different types of crimes under the white-collar umbrella, per the FBI, include the following:
Healthcare Fraud: Healthcare fraud can be committed by either patients or providers, and it is intended to deceive the system. Patients may receive free services that would have otherwise been paid for, while providers may bill for services that were never rendered to receive undue payment.
Corporate Fraud: Some examples of corporate fraud include misrepresenting financial conditions, committing trades fraudulently, participating in insider trading, misusing business property for personal profit, violating tax laws, and engaging in transactions designed to evade regulatory oversight.
Mortgage Fraud: The two primary types of mortgage fraud are for-profit fraud, where professionals steal equity and/or cash from homeowners or lenders, and housing fraud, where a borrower misrepresents or lies about their circumstances to influence their appraisals or make their property appear more valuable than it is.
Money Laundering: Money laundering is a type of crime in which individuals make illicitly obtained money appear as if it were obtained legally. They may do this to accumulate wealth, avoid taxes, or hide criminal organizations and their activities.
Securities and Commodities Fraud: Securities fraud involves using deception in the stock and bond markets and may include insider trading or misrepresentation of an organization’s financial health. Commodities fraud refers to the manipulation of the market as it pertains to oil, precious metals, and other high-value items.
Intellectual Property Theft and Piracy: Intellectual property theft involves illegally claiming ideas, artworks, or inventions as one’s own, while piracy entails obtaining these works illegally, such as through online torrents.
Financial Institution Fraud: Embezzlement and misuse of funds from a bank, credit union, or other financial institution are considered financial institution fraud. The fraud may impact one or more customers or completely bankrupt the financial institution.
Organized Crime
Sometimes, enterprises and organizations are created to undertake illegal activities to gain wealth or power for their members. This is known as organized crime, and the United States’ Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act provides a framework for addressing it. One of the most famous examples of an organized crime organization is the Mafia, which encompasses many different groups and crime types.
Some of the most common types of crimes committed by these organizations are drug trafficking, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, extortion and racketeering, gambling and loan sharking, cybercrime, financial fraud, counterfeiting, intellectual property theft, environmental crimes, and the sale of stolen goods.
Terrorism
Terrorism has many different meanings, but, in short, it can be defined as using violence against civilians who are not involved in policymaking to further a political, social, or religious cause. Both individuals and organizations can commit acts of terror. The September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center in New York City is one of the most well-known examples of an act of terrorism in modern times.
Transnational and Global Crime
When the commission of a crime involves crossing national borders, that crime is said to be transnational in nature. These crimes, including human and drug trafficking, money laundering, and cybercrimes, pose a significant threat to a country’s safety, security, and economy, and global society as a whole. A significant number of these crimes are also organized in nature, making them particularly challenging to resolve.
Juvenile Crime
A juvenile crime can be defined as any violation of the law committed by an individual who is not yet an adult, typically meaning someone under age 18. Juveniles are typically processed through a separate branch of the justice system, with the majority of the punishments and recourse that are ordered focused on rehabilitating these individuals. However, in some very rare circumstances that involve especially heinous crimes or the repeated commission of nonviolent crimes, juveniles may be tried as adults.
Property crimes, including theft and damage, are by far the most common offenses committed by juveniles. Shoplifting, larceny, and vandalism make up the vast majority of these charges. Though some juveniles do commit violent offenses, including robbery and assault.
Violent Crime
When a victim of a crime has been harmed with violence, the crime itself is considered violent. Several different types of crime are violent in nature, including sexual assault, rape, robbery, assault, and murder. These crimes are typically considered the most severe, and according to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), much research goes into determining the best ways to reduce their occurrence.
Property Crime and Theft
In 2022, according to data provided by the FBI, there were approximately 1,954 property crimes per 100,000 people. These crimes ranged from burglary, larceny-theft, and auto theft to vandalism and arson. Some of these crimes may also be classified as violent crimes if the victims were threatened with violence or if violence was used against them during the commission of the crime, such as when a carjacking or an arson occurs while the car or home owner is present.
Hate Crime
Hate crimes are usually defined as crimes committed based on prejudice. Some of the most common prejudices focus on biases related to sexuality, gender and gender identity, race, religion, and political views, though many others exist. Hate crimes affect more than just the direct victims; they impact the victims’ families, their communities, and sometimes even the country. For this reason, hate crimes are governed by separate laws.
Careers in Criminal Justice
Learning more about the different types of crime is critical for anyone interested in pursuing any of a wide range of criminal justice careers. Some positions aspiring criminal justice professionals choose to pursue are criminal investigator, probation officer, and crime scene investigator.
Detective or Criminal Investigator
Detectives and criminal investigators both investigate criminal activities, but while detectives work in the public sector, such as in police departments, criminal investigators may work in the private sector for specific companies. Criminal investigators handle a much wider range of types of cases, including civil and financial investigations, but they do not have the same legal authority as detectives, who wield the ability to make arrests and issue search warrants.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), police detectives and criminal investigators had a median annual salary of $93,580 as of May 2024. The highest-paid 10% earned more than $120,000. Employment of police detectives and criminal investigators is projected to grow by 3% between 2024 and 2034.
Paralegal
Paralegals support attorneys by investigating the facts associated with cases and comparing them to relevant laws, precedents, and regulations. They may gather, compose, and send documents on a lawyer’s behalf, keep files updated and organized, obtain affidavits from individuals who are important to certain cases, and provide hands-on assistance during court hearings and trials. They may travel frequently to meet with clients and other attorneys.
Per data from the BLS, paralegals and legal assistants had a median annual salary of $61,010 as of May 2024, with the highest 10% of earners making more than $98,990 annually. Employment in this occupation is projected to remain about the same, with roughly 39,300 job openings expected to be available each year between 2024 and 2034.
Probation Officer or Correctional Treatment Specialist
Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists aid in the rehabilitation of adults and juveniles who are or were incarcerated. These individuals interview individuals, their friends, and their relatives to assess their progress and safety, perform evaluations to determine the best rehabilitation options for them, and ensure parolees and probationers follow the terms of their release.
The BLS reports that the median annual salary of probation officers and correctional treatment specialists, including juvenile court counselors, is $64,520 as of May 2024, with the top 10% of earners making more than $106,290 annually. Employment in these roles is projected to grow by about 3% in the decade between 2024 and 2034, but this is dependent on the funding each state and city government receives for corrections.
Crime Scene Investigator
Crime scene investigators
are forensic science technicians who carefully review crime scenes, collect evidence, take photographs, and sometimes even create sketches of what they find. They are responsible for recording their observations; collecting weapons, fingerprints, and bodily fluids; and preserving evidence appropriately for transportation to a crime lab. Some may even be called upon to help reconstruct crime scenes.
Forensic science technicians, such as crime scene investigators, have a median annual salary of $67,440 as of May 2024, with the top 10% of earners making upward of $110,710 a year, according to the BLS. Employment in the field is projected to grow 13% between 2024 and 2034. As crime investigation techniques continue to become more sophisticated, state and local governments are likely to increasingly rely on these professionals to process crime scenes as accurately as possible.
Help Reduce Crime by Earning a Criminal Justice Degree
Crime is a serious issue at every level, from the international to the local. The criminal justice system relies on well-trained, skilled professionals to understand crime and help prevent new crimes from occurring. If you want to do your part to reduce crime in and beyond your community, it is critical that you understand the different types of crime.
To prepare to pursue a career in criminal justice, consider enrolling in the online
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Criminal Justice program
at East Carolina University®. This program can provide you with the vital skills and knowledge you need to succeed as a criminal justice professional today, such as how
technology
is increasingly being used within the criminal justice system, opening the door to new opportunities and higher salaries. Furthermore, the flexible online delivery format means aspiring professionals can learn at a pace that suits their unique needs.
Learn more about how you can gain the skills required to become a criminal investigator, probation officer, or crime scene investigator with a degree from ECU.
