Crimes & Penalties by State

Every state has a unique set of laws (statutes) and court opinions, which together make up that state's criminal law. Even crimes as common as burglary can vary in the details from state to state. If you're interested in knowing how your state defines and punishes a particular crime, you need to either read the statutes and court cases or -- far better -- read an article that has done the work for you.

Below you'll see links to each of the 50 states (and the District of Columbia, too). On each state's page, we've posted articles on common crimes. We're constantly adding articles, so if you don't see a crime covered on your state's page, please bear with us.

Please Click on Your State Below:

Looking Up the Law

Finding the Law Online

The articles on this site contain citations to the laws that they explain.
Your State's Laws May Offer More Protections

What you learn here, when it comes to defendants’ rights, is the least you can expect, and you may be better protected if your state has liberalized the rules established by the Supreme Court.

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Copyright © 2018 MH Sub I, LLC dba Nolo ® Self-help services may not be permitted in all states. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site. The attorney listings on this site are paid attorney advertising. In some states, the information on this website may be considered a lawyer referral service. Please reference the Terms of Use and the Supplemental Terms for specific information related to your state. Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use, Supplemental Terms, Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.