Overcriminalization
Overcriminalization describes the trend to use the criminal law rather than the civil law to solve every problem, to punish every mistake, and to compel compliance with regulatory objectives.[1]
The focus on Overcriminalization is a major effort on part of the Heritage Foundation, having published papers on the topic such as "Overcriminalization: An Explosion of Federal Criminal Law".[2]
Harvey Silverglate wrote a book highlighting how the average American commits 3 felonies per day due to excessive regulation.[3][4]
Some libertarians and progressives[5] try to cast overcriminalization in light of the war on drugs, but there are somewhere in between 300,000 and 400,000 rules that could be considered a federal offense[6] that go well beyond that scope.
References
- ↑ The Heritage Foundation - Legal issues - Overcriminalization
- ↑ Overcriminalization: An Explosion of Federal Criminal Law. Heritage Foundation (April 27, 2011).
- ↑ You Commit Three Felonies a Day (September 27, 2009).
- ↑ (2011) Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent. Encounter Books. ISBN 978-1594035227.
- ↑ Mental Illness, Homelessness, Drug Addiction: Do These Sound Like Crimes? (October 9, 2014).
- ↑ 'Overcriminalization' Making Us a Nation of Felons?. Christian Broadcasting Network (31 October 2007).