To install click the Add extension button. That's it.

The source code for the WIKI 2 extension is being checked by specialists of the Mozilla Foundation, Google, and Apple. You could also do it yourself at any point in time.

4,5
Kelly Slayton
Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea!
Alexander Grigorievskiy
I use WIKI 2 every day and almost forgot how the original Wikipedia looks like.
What we do. Every page goes through several hundred of perfecting techniques; in live mode. Quite the same Wikipedia. Just better.
.
Leo
Newton
Brights
Milds

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The remains of Kyoto Animation Studio 1 after being set ablaze by an arsonist

Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercraft, or forests. The crime is typically classified as a felony, with instances involving risk to human life or property carrying a stricter penalty. Arson that results in death can be further prosecuted as manslaughter or murder. A common motive for arson is to commit insurance fraud.[1][2][3] In such cases, a person destroys their own property by burning it and then lies about the cause in order to collect against their insurance policy.[4]

A person who commits arson is referred to as an arsonist, or a serial arsonist if the person has committed arson several times. Arsonists normally use an accelerant (such as gasoline or kerosene) to ignite, propel, and direct fires, and the detection and identification of ignitable liquid residues is an important part of fire investigations.[5] Pyromania is an impulse control disorder characterized by the pathological setting of fires.[6] Most acts of arson are not committed by pyromaniacs.[6]

YouTube Encyclopedic

  • 1/1
    Views:
    9 505
  • UPDATE - Suspect Wanted after a Vehicle Arson in Oshawa

Transcription

Etymology

The term derives from Law French arsoun (late 13th century), from Old French arsion, from Late Latin ārsiōnem "a burning," (acc.) from the verb ardēre, "to burn."[7][8][9]

The Old English term was bærnet, lit. "burning"; and Edward Coke has indictment of burning (1640). Arsonist is from 1864.[10]

English common law

English Common Law defines arson as "the malicious burning of the dwelling of another."[11]

This definition has four elements:

Malicious
For purposes of common law arson, "malicious" refers to intention of starting the fire. Fires can be started on purpose or by accident. In either case, there is legal precedent charge the guilty person with arson whether their intention was to start a fire or not. "Malicious" in this case is describing the intention of the arsonist as ill-intentioned and intending to cause harm or death.
Burning
According to common law charring to any part of dwelling was sufficient to satisfy this element. No significant amount of damage to the dwelling was required. Any injury or damage to the structure caused by exposure to heat or flame is sufficient.
Of the dwelling
'Dwelling' refers to a place of residence. The destruction of an unoccupied building was not considered arson: "... since arson protected habitation, the burning of an unoccupied house did not constitute arson." At common law a structure did not become a residence until the first occupants had moved in, and ceased to be a dwelling if the occupants abandoned the premises with no intention of resuming their residency.[12] Dwelling includes structures and outbuildings within the curtilage.[13] Dwellings were not limited to houses. A barn could be the subject of arson if occupied as a dwelling.
Of another
Burning one's own dwelling does not constitute common law arson, even if the purpose was to collect insurance, because "it was generally assumed in early England that one had the legal right to destroy his own property in any manner he chose".[14] Moreover, for purposes of common law arson, possession or occupancy rather than title determines whose dwelling the structure is.[13] Thus a tenant who sets fire to his rented house would not be guilty of common law arson,[13] while the landlord who set fire to a rented dwelling house would be guilty.

Degrees

Many U.S. state legal systems and the legal systems of several other countries divide arson into degrees, depending sometimes on the value of the property but more commonly on its use and whether the crime was committed in the day or night.

  • First-degree arson – Burning an occupied structure such as a school or a place where people are normally present
  • Second-degree arson – Burning an unoccupied building such as an empty barn or an unoccupied house or other structure in order to claim insurance on such property
  • Third-degree arson – Burning an abandoned building or an abandoned area, such as a field, forest or woods.

Many statutes vary the degree of the crime according to the criminal intent of the accused. Some US states use other degrees of arson, such as "fourth" and "fifth" degree,[15] while some states do not categorize arson by any degree. For example, in the state of Tennessee, arson is categorized as "arson" and "aggravated arson."

Insurance fraud

A common motive for arson is to commit insurance fraud. In such cases, a person destroys their own property by burning it and then lies about the cause in order to collect against their insurance policy.

An example of insurance fraud being the motivating factor for an act of arson is the case for Operation Firebird.[16] A married couple and 4 co-conspirators were arrested and convicted with arson and insurance fraud after a string of home, business, and warehouse fires which took place between 2014 and 2018 were exposed as acts of arson. Using chicken left in boiling frying oil, the convicted criminals would make fire seem like a cooking accident. Then, the group committed insurance fraud by filing insurance claims for the cost of the building, as well as, smoke-damaged goods to claim fire damages for insurance payouts. The group's scheme claimed a reported $4 million and ended when authorities were tipped off of on where the location of the next planned incident would take place. Police then performed an investigation dubbed Operation Firebird with the San Jose Fire Department. According to a 2019 Press Release from the California Department of Insurance, Tyler and Kim Chen, Ha Nguyen, Sandy Ngo, Duyen Pham, and Trang Huynh were all convicted with various degrees of arson and insurance fraud.

Tyler Chen was convicted with five separate counts of arson and two separate counts of insurance fraud in Santa Clara County in 2018. Tyler Chen's wife, Kim Chen, was convicted with two counts of insurance fraud in Santa Clara county.[17]

By region

United States

A U.S. World War II era arson poster. The image seen above was created out of fear of arson attacks during World War II. Once the war ended, Smokey Bear made his debut because fire safety was more of a concern than acts of arson.
Smokey Bear in poster from 1944.

In the United States, the common law elements of arson are often varied in different jurisdictions. For example, the element of "dwelling" is no longer required in most states, and arson occurs by the burning of any real property without consent or with unlawful intent.[18] Arson is prosecuted with attention to degree of severity[19] in the alleged offense. First degree arson[20] generally occurs when people are harmed or killed in the course of the fire, while second degree arson occurs when significant destruction of property occurs.[21] While usually a felony, arson may also be prosecuted as a misdemeanor,[22] "criminal mischief", or "destruction of property."[23] Burglary also occurs, if the arson involved a "breaking and entering".[24] A person may be sentenced to death if arson occurred as a method of homicide, as was the case in California of Raymond Lee Oyler and in Texas of Cameron Todd Willingham.

After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, the United States started a National Fire Prevention Week in order to educate the people on ways to prevent fires, minimize their damages, and hopefully drastically decrease casualties.[25] Fire Prevention Week campaigns includes various information on safe cooking practices pertaining to grilling, microwaving, and cooking on a stove.

During World War II arson was a much higher concern in the United States. There was a severe lack of firefighters due to the fact most of the men were overseas to fight the war. There were few men left behind to help combat forest fires. For example, during WW II in Eldora, Iowa a fire chief reported that his regular membership shrank from 21 to 9 men and their fire fighting force recruited retired members and new members to fill the missing positions during the war.[26] Although there were few attempts to burn U.S. forests, it continued to be a big concern due to the potential detrimental effects. This concern for arson attempts led to the rise of Smokey Bear who was the face of fire prevention and fire safety measures.[27][28] Although the intention of Smokey Bear's persona is to encourage fire safety, Smokey shares a message of fire prevention which includes accidental fires that can sometimes be legally charged as arson.

In New York, arson is charged in five degrees. Arson in the first degree is a Class A-1 felony and requires the intent to burn the building with a person inside using an explosive incendiary device. In New York, the criminal charge of arson includes a maximum sentence of 25 years to life.[29]

In California, a conviction for arson of property that is not one's own is a felony punishable by up to three years in state prison. Aggravated arson, which carries the most severe punishment for arson, is punishable by 10 years to life in state prison. A well-known example of arson which took place in California is the Esperanza Fire. Raymond Lee Oyler was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to death for a 2006 fire in southern California that led to the deaths of five U.S. Forest Service firefighters; he was the first U.S. citizen to receive such a conviction and penalty for wildfire arson.[30]

Some states, such as California, prosecute the lesser offense of "reckless burning" when the fire is set recklessly as opposed to willfully and maliciously. The study of the causes is the subject of fire investigation. A recent example of a reckless burning offense is the El Dorado fire which took place in 2020 in California. This fire was caused by a gender reveal party which utilized a smoke bomb which is categorized as unsafe pyrotechnics. The El Dorado fire burned over a 71-day period, destroyed 20 structures and resulted in one firefighter fatality, for which the couple hosting the party were charged with involuntary manslaughter.[31] The Esperanza Fire ultimately resulted in the death of firefighter Charles "Charlie" Morton, who became trapped while attempting to fight the fire. The DA of California considered arson charges for the family members as they were deemed negligent with regard to fire safety.[32]

England

Cars damaged by arson in Millwall, Tower Hamlets, London, during the 2011 England Riots

In British law, arson was a common law offence (except for the offence of arson in royal dockyards)[33] dealing with the criminal destruction of buildings by fire. The common law offence was abolished by s.11(1) of the Criminal Damage Act 1971.[34] The 1971 Act makes no distinction as to mode of destruction except that s.1(3) requires that if the destruction is by fire, the offence is charged as arson; s.4 of the Act provides a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for conviction under s.1 whether or not the offence is charged as arson. In Hong Kong, the common law offence was abolished by s 67 of the Crimes Ordinance 1971 (Part VIII of which, as amended by Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance 1972,[35] mirrored the English Criminal Damage Act 1971).[36] Like the English counterparts, 63 of the 1972 Ordinance provides a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and s 60(3) of the Ordinance requires that if the damage is by fire the offence should be charged as arson.

Myanmar

In the Burmese legal system, arson is considered "mischief by fire" under sections 435 and 436 of the Myanmar Penal Code and punishable by fine and imprisonment.[37] The statutes were last amended on 1 July 2016, and made arson on houses and buildings punishable with up to 20 years in prison.[37]

The Burmese military has long used arson as a weapon of war against civilians.[38][39] From the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état to August 2022, military forces committed arson on 28,434 houses in the country.[40]

Scotland

While the Scottish legal system has no offence known as arson statutorily defined, there are many offences that are used to charge those with acts that would normally constitute arson in other nations. Events constituting arson in English and Welsh law might be dealt with as one or more of a variety of offences such as wilful fire-raising, culpable and reckless conduct, vandalism or other offences depending on the circumstances of the event. The more serious offences (in particular wilful fire-raising and culpable and reckless conduct) can incur a sentence of life imprisonment.

Ireland

Ireland differentiates how it charges arson not by degree but rather by what is being destroyed and if anyone was harmed.[41] For example, while the sentence for setting fire to a building can be life imprisonment, the sentence for setting fire to goods in a building can only be up to fourteen years.[1]

A notable historical act of arson in Ireland is the burning of Wildgoose Lodge, which resulted in the arrest, sentencing, and execution of 18 men, many of whom were innocent.[42] More recently, the 2023 Dublin riot involved instances of arson, with many such acts targeting vehicles.

Notable arsonists

French General Mélac became notorious for burning cities and farms in southwestern Germany during the Nine Years' War.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Arson". FindLaw. Archived from the original on January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  2. ^ arson Archived February 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Accessed: January 27, 2008
  3. ^ "StackPath". December 13, 2010. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Zalma, Barry (January 8, 2014). "Fraud Proved – Lie About Cause Of Fire Sufficient to Support Guilty Verdict". LexisNexis. Archived from the original on January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  5. ^ Almirall, José R.; Furton, Kenneth G., eds. (2004). Analysis and interpretation of fire scene evidence. Boca Raton: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0849378850. OCLC 53360702.
  6. ^ a b Burton, Paul R.; McNiel, Dale E.; Binder, Renée L. (November 2012). "Firesetting, arson, pyromania, and the forensic mental health expert" (PDF). Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. 40 (3): 355–365. PMID 22960918. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2019.
  7. ^ "arson". Online Etymology Dictionary. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  8. ^ Various. Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D). Library of Alexandria. ISBN 9781465562883. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2020 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Definition of arson - Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  10. ^ Murray, James Augustus Henry; Craigie, Sir William Alexander; Onions, Charles Talbut (December 2, 1888). "A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles". www.books.google.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Black's Law Dictionary (9th ed.). 2009. Arson. At common law, the malicious burning of someone else's dwelling house or outhouse that is either appurtenant to the dwelling house or within the curtilage.
  12. ^ Boyce & Perkins, Criminal Law, 3rd ed. (1992) at 280, 281.
  13. ^ a b c Boyce & Perkins, Criminal Law, 3rd ed. (1992) at 281.
  14. ^ Braun, William C. (1952). "Legal Aspects of Arson". Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 43 (1): 53.
  15. ^ Nagel, Ilene H. (1983). "The Legal/Extra-Legal Controversy: Judicial Decisions in Pretrial Release". Law & Society Review. 17 (3): 481–516. doi:10.2307/3053590. JSTOR 3053590. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  16. ^ "Ringleader of family arson crew pleads guilty in $4 million Operation Firebird insurance fraud case". www.insurance.ca.gov. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  17. ^ Chan, Nicholas (November 19, 2019). "Couple Pleads Guilty in $4M Arson, Insurance Fraud Case". San Jose Inside. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  18. ^ See U.S. v. Miller, 246 Fed.Appx. 369 (C.A.6 (Tenn.) 2007); U.S. v. Velasquez-Reyes, 427 F.3d 1227, 1230–1231 and n. 2 (9th Cir.2005).
  19. ^ "Campus Crime: Crime Codes and Degree of Severity". California State University, Monterey Bay. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2008.
  20. ^ See U.S. v. Miller, 246 Fed.Appx. 369 (C.A.6 (Tenn.) 2007)
  21. ^ Garofoli, Joe (September 1, 2007). "Suspect in Burning Man arson decries event's loss of spontaneity". San Francisco Chronicle. p. A8. Archived from the original on April 25, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
  22. ^ "Reason for Referral". Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
  23. ^ "Man accused of arson pleads to misdemeanor charges". The Salina Journal. January 25, 2008. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
  24. ^ 3 Charles E. Torcia, Wharton's Criminal Law § 326 (14th ed. 1980)
  25. ^ Lessons from History The Chicago Fire of 1871. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ "The International Fire Service and World War II - Fire Engineering: Firefighter Training and Fire Service News, Rescue". December 7, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  27. ^ "The cultural history of Smokey Bear". theaggie.org. February 15, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  28. ^ "How Fear of a WWII Invasion Gave Rise to Smokey Bear". History. August 9, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  29. ^ "New York Arson Laws".
  30. ^ "Getting Tough on Arson". Utne Reader. January–February 2011. p. 13.
  31. ^ "Father in gender-reveal that sparked fatal 2020 California wildfire has pleaded guilty". AP News. February 11, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  32. ^ Rokos, Brian (January 11, 2022). "Doomed El Dorado firefighter's last words: trapped in a 'corner'". San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  33. ^ William Blackstone (1765–1769). "Of Offenses against the Habitations of Individuals [Book the Fourth, Chapter the Sixteenth]". Commentaries on the Laws of England. Oxford: Clarendon Press (reproduced on The Avalon Project at Yale Law School). Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008..
  34. ^ "Criminal Damage Act 1971". Archived from the original on December 8, 2009. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  35. ^ "Legco.gov.hk" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  36. ^ "Hklii.hk". Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  37. ^ a b "The Penal Code". Myanmar Law Information System. July 1, 2016.
  38. ^ Mirza, Atthar; Moriarty, Dylan. "'Burn it all down': How Myanmar's military razed villages to crush a growing resistance". Washington Post. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  39. ^ "Satellite Data Raise Fears Myanmar's Army Setting Towns Ablaze". Human Rights Watch. November 3, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  40. ^ Sai, Ko (August 29, 2022). "Over 28,000 Homes Torched by Myanmar Junta Forces Since Coup". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  41. ^ Book (eISB), electronic Irish Statute. "electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB)". www.irishstatutebook.ie. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  42. ^ Muirí, Réamonn Ó (1986). "The Burning of Wildgoose Lodge: A Selection of Documents". Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society. 21 (2): 117–147. doi:10.2307/27729616. ISSN 0070-1327. JSTOR 27729616.
  43. ^ Bosworth 1987, pp. 26–27.

Works cited

Further reading

This page was last edited on 6 September 2024, at 01:14
Basis of this page is in Wikipedia. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported License. Non-text media are available under their specified licenses. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. WIKI 2 is an independent company and has no affiliation with Wikimedia Foundation.