Yes you read that correctly. You and everyone you know is technically a criminal. A criminal is defined as someone who has committed a crime. That includes traffic citations. It is the law to feed the meter. It isn’t a serious crime, but it is still a crime. Parking in a spot and not paying is technically stealing, because you are only borrowing the parking spot.

I know a big argument in the news today is the talk about illegal immigrants. Some people feel that the process to become legalized should be easier and others think it is fine the way it is and we should BUILD THE WALL. Regardless of what you believe, being in any country illegally is breaking the law. My mother and father came to the United States in 1989. They stayed longer than their visas allowed them to, which made them criminals. My mother actually spent a few days in jail and she was deported for a few months. She then came back to the United States and married my step father so she could become legal. It may seem like a silly law, but when people reside in a country illegally no one wins. The government loses money because they can avoid taxes and you pay more. Imagine what our taxes would be like if every single working person in this country were paying taxes.

Traffic infractions are a crime. Whether you have gone ten miles over the speed limit or one mile over, that is technically breaking the law. The speed limit is exactly that, the LIMIT to the speed you are permitted to drive. I can honestly say that I have never gone exactly the speed limit or lower, and I am sure most of you can’t either. Switching lanes without a turn signal is also illegal. That I can honestly say I never forget. I am a little OCD about it. It is the law that when driving in in-climate weather your head lights need to be turned on. Even if it is just an average cloudy day, it is the law.

The point is, no one has never ever committed a crime in their entire life. Aside from children, we have all done something illegal in some capacity. And that is something criminologists have to understand early. Our job is not point fingers and blame crime on hard criminals. But its to better understand and analyze what causes people to commit crimes, prevention options and educating people.

Comment below some things that are illegal that people are likely to do on a daily basis.