Every state has its laws and the state of New York is no exception. Laws exist for order and peace in the society, and they are made for people and institutions to live by. The New York criminal laws are a segment of the laws of New York as it relates to criminal justice, law enforcement and corrections. This is further broken down into other detailed laws, but a general overview of them would suffice unless you intend to pursue a law degree or you are a practicing lawyer in New York.
The New York criminal law is a body of regulated laws that pertain to the carriage of justice in the event of any crime in the state. Many things constitute a crime, and anyone could be guilty of them if care is not taken. Anything from antitrust violation, homicide, arson, tax evasion, felony and sedition among several others constitute a crime in the state of New York. There are also white collar crimes like internet and home business scams, credit card frauds, document forgery, phony deals, embezzlement, computer and software crimes that fall within the purview of the New York criminal laws. The New York criminal laws are wide and they are getting wider by the day with the new crime strategies adopted by criminals – the laws are also getting smarter to catch up with them.
Not all crimes would be punishable by imprisonment or even death in New York. Some crimes would only exact a fine payment as punishment and there are some that come with removing the offender from public office and barring him from taking up any future public post. But in extreme cases, the offender might be jailed for a long term sentence and he may be given life imprisonment, while the death penalty might also be recommended in some cases. There is the option for probation where certain stringent conditions are met, but the judge would have determined the extent of this current crime vis-à-vis the probability of the offender committing such crime again before giving the offer of probation on conditions.
The New York criminal laws are made with a human face, basically to help prevent crime than to punish crime. And where crimes are even punished, it is to correct or rehabilitate the offender and to also deter others from committing such a crime in the future. As with every aspect of human endeavor, you expected to know the legal implications of whatever you do before venturing into it. It might even be wise to consult with legal practitioners and solicitors for advice before venturing into anything, because a single act might be an offense and at the same time turn out to be a crime. You must also never assume anything, and never to think that since an offender went off lightly with an offense in another state, the same thing might happen with you in New York; and the merits of a similar case might not even apply to you because of the exceptions that apply to legal cases.