is 'knowing that a crime is in progress, but knowingly not doing anything to prevent it' a crime in itself?

Question

various possible scenarios

1) i see that thieves entering my neighbor's home [who has gone to a party with his family] and i ignore it and quietly start watching tv and let the theft happen

2) if while entering a subway, i see that a young girl is being molested there by 2 big men, and i quietly flee from there, thinking that if i try to do something maybe i myself will get beating [or maybe injury] at hands of those 2 men

3) i see my brother picking pocket of someone while we both were in a crowded market, and i remain quiet with the thought that let him steal, its good for him that he gets free money [thinking that his good is of course my good]

i want to analyse my inaction from 2 perspectives- my 'presumed inability' to affect the outcome of an event in progress, and secondly, my 'deliberate indifference' about something happening. do these 2 perspectives make a difference to my inaction being a crime or not

scenario 4- i see a small child working in a restaurant. i know that child labor is a crime, but instead of doing anything i actually enjoy my meal served to me by that small child

there could actually be 2 questions. 2nd question would be formed if i replace the "is" at start of my question with "should"

small comment- i chose personal examples only to exemplify some situations, and this is no way reflects my actions my opinions or situations in my life

i saw some answerers saying that i did not do my duty. i want to clarify again that these are hypothetical situations which did not happen with me, and i'm asking this for both curiosity sake as well as understanding sake

note- i mistakenly asked this question twice. i intended to ask this here only, but also by chance happened to ask it here too
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070217053514AA0f23e&r=w

i'm providing above link to a copy of this question in case anyone is interested in reading replies present there

Answer 1

Some states have Good Samatarian laws that compel citizens to report a crime in progress.

In terms of the law, the perspectives do not make a difference. You are negligent in your duty as a citizen.

Since your question is hypothetical, you can consider my answer to be as well.

Answer 2

You have to verify that what you think is a crime is a crime because making false reports can cause a jail sentence and/or an expensive fine. The best thing to do is record what happened if you can then submit a copy of the evidence to the police and make sure you keep a copy of the police report. The Good Samaritan Law should protect you from any lawsuit and litigation, http://www.voteprimous.com

Answer 3

This is disturbing. You gave the example of a child being molested and you say you dont know what to do? Who cares if you get beaten atleast you would be trying to help the girl. If you keep to yourself information about a crime then YES it is a crime. It could be obstucion of justice or a couple of other titles. Personally I think if you just watched and didnt help especially in the little girls case you would need beaten anyway.

Answer 4

While you might have a moral obligation to intervene or report the crimes, most jurisdictions would not impose LEGAL duty for you act. Sad, but true.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Some jurisdictions will require off-duty police officers to intervene in some of the situations that you described. Some professors like teachers or doctors must report suspect child abuse. My sister's husband is a federal marshal, and he is required to carry his sidearm with him at all times.

Answer 5

I don't think not doing anything in these 3 scenarios is legally a crime. But I believe morally and ethically they are. If we choose not to help others in need, then can we expect anyone to help us when we're in need? I truly believe that each of us needs to bear some responsibility for the well-being of others. How can we claim to have advanced at all if we don't? I think there are situations, though, where knowledge of a future crime is legally a crime itself.

Answer 6

there was a Seinfeld episode about that, but the good Samaritan law seems like it would almost be unenforceable in todays society,, there would be too many lawsuits, and the cops probably dont like it cause vigilantism makes them look like they are good for nothing but patronizing donut shops and handing out speeding tickets. they like to have people solve the crimes for them after the fact, not prevent them.

Answer 7

If you witness a crime and do nothing.even to report it.you can be assumed you are with the criminals and therefore charged..it is a crime..But if there is a chance you can be injured in the process of stopping a crime you can plead self preservation..

Answer 8

In my opinion, it's a moral issue. I wouldn't put my own self in danger to stop a crime but I would call a cop.

Answer 9

a million and a pair of are a very sparkling NO (from a criminal no longer a ethical perspective). regardless of the undeniable fact that, 3 must be seen as assisting and abetting against the regulation, even conspiracy to dedicate against the regulation, in case you had long previous out with the reason to thieve.

Answer 10

me and my friends had a layover in Latham , MA, while they serviced the private jet, and we saw a fat guy getting car jacked...there was no danger but we laughed and video taped it. we got arrested, tried and convicted under the Good Samaritan Law. we hired a lawyer to defend us but I think we should sue him because he never argued that taping the incident could help find the guy. we each got a year but we were allowed a TV in our cell so at least we could watch reruns of our favorite sitcom.....