When a student of criminal law is asked to define the subject matter of his field of study, he is immediately put into a position somewhat reminiscent of a First World War infantryman being sent over the top to negotiate his way through a minefield of unexpected procedural, linguistic and philosophic difficulties. The main problem originates from the fact that the concept of crime encompasses two distinct although overlapping ideas: that of behaviour; and that of the official status, or criminal label, which is attached to the behaviour. Because the official status of the same behaviour may well change over time, it is impossible to formulate a.
