Crime rates increase year after year. More people and especially the youth, find themselves in trouble with law enforcers. Peers and environmental influence are the top contributing factors to increasing crime. 

According to criminal law, crimes are in different categories, and so are the fines and jail terms. When you or your family member gets involved in an offence, you should get in touch with a criminal lawyer. As you do that, take a look at various types of crimes explained below:

1. Hooning

Hooning is social misconduct involving any automobile such as a motorcycle, lorry or car. It includes playing loud music, over-speeding, racing, reckless driving, and defying traffic rules. For instance, if the road sign says stop, but someone overtakes you, nearly hitting your side mirror, that trauma alone is enough to report the person to law enforcers for legal action.

2. Graffiti

Graffiti could be artistic but must be authorized. But people often misuse it to destroy other people's property in the name of art. If you find your business premise painted without your consent, you have a ground to sue the culprits. The law treats this as an offence with a potential jail term or fine. In some jurisdictions, owning an aerosol is punishable by law. 

3. Leaking Intimate Images

Some relationships get nasty, and one party decides to leak intimate images of the other person to the public for revenge. Unfortunately, sharing such images without the person's consent is a crime. That's because it can cause the person to become perturbed and depressed. The images can sometimes be accompanied by vulgar language, which makes the situation worse. Even if the images are digitally altered, the law considered them intimate images and is a punishable offence. 

4. Drugs

Dealing with drugs is one of the most grievous offences under the law. You can get charged for possessing, supplying, trafficking, producing or cultivating illegal drugs. Possessing or publishing a drug recipe is a criminal act as well. The punishment for these crimes largely depends on the amount and types of drugs involved. Hard drugs like heroin and cocaine attract more years in jail than cannabis and morphine. Drug cases are rather complicated, and you'll need the assistance of a seasoned criminal lawyer to negotiate a less severe punishment. 

Crimes go beyond the four mentioned above. If you get involved in any of them, call a criminal lawyer to assist you.