{{Short description|Class of criminal offense}} {{Other uses}} thumb|H. Brückner, ''Mischief'' (1874)
'''Mischief''' (or '''malicious mischief''') is a class of criminal offenses that are defined differently in different legal jurisdictions. While the wrongful acts will often involve what is popularly described as vandalism, there can be a legal differentiation between vandalism and mischief. The etymology of the word comes from Old French ''meschief'', which means "misfortune", from ''meschever'', "to end badly".
==Canada== The country's Criminal Code makes mischief a hybrid offence, punishable by up to and including life imprisonment if the mischief causes actual danger to human life.<ref>{{cite web |title=Defending Yourself: Mischief |url=https://pubsdb.lss.bc.ca/pdfs/pubs/Defending-Yourself-Mischief-eng.pdf |website=Legal Aid BC |access-date=21 November 2021 |date=September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210051438/https://pubsdb.lss.bc.ca/pdfs/pubs/Defending-Yourself-Mischief-eng.pdf |archive-date=10 February 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> Public mischief is the term for the crime of wasting police time.<ref>{{cite web |title=Criminal Code (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46) Public Mischief |url=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/section-140.html |website=Justice Laws Website |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref>
==Scotland== Malicious mischief is an offence against the common law of Scotland. It does not require actual damage to property for the offence to be committed; financial damage consequential to the act is sufficient. It has now largely been replaced by vandalism, a statutory offense with the same definition. Vandalism is defined by section 52 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995.<ref>{{cite web |title=Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, Vandalism |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/39/section/52/2018-01-25 |website=legislation.gov.uk}}</ref>
==United States== In United States criminal law, mischief is an offense against property that typically involves the intentional or reckless infliction of damage, defacement, alteration, or destruction of property. Common forms include vandalism and graffiti.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=LaGRANGE |first1=Teresa C. |title=The Impact of Neighborhoods, Schools, and Malls on the Spatial Distribution of Property Damage |journal=Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency |date=November 1999 |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=393–422 |doi=10.1177/0022427899036004003|s2cid=55937216 |url=https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clsoc_crim_facpub/56 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Some examples include: disturbing a grave site, damaging an automobile, damaging or stealing a sign, starting a fire, throwing eggs at a home or car (egging), and interfering with a fire hose.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barkemeyer |first=Carl |date=2024-03-23 |title=Examples Of Criminal Mischief |url=https://attorneycarl.com/examples-of-criminal-mischief/ |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Barkemeyer Law Firm |language=en-US}}</ref> Governed by state law, criminal mischief is committed when a perpetrator, having no right to do so nor any reasonable ground to believe that he/she has such a right, intentionally or recklessly damages property of another person, intentionally participates in the destruction of property of another person, or participates in the reckless damage or destruction of property of another person.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wasik |first1=Martin |title=Criminal Damage/Criminal Mischief |journal=Anglo-American Law Review |date=January 1988 |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=37–45 |doi=10.1177/147377958801700103|s2cid=184727509 }}</ref>
During the second presidency of Donald Trump, criminal mischief charges have been brought against protesters arrested by the New York Police Department for blocking Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles, leading to significant controversy.<ref name=amny>{{cite news |last=Moses |first=Dean |title=ICE at hospital: Masked agents drag man from medical center in Brooklyn, New Yorkers and cops injured in pepper spray chaos |url=https://www.amny.com/news/ice-agents-brooklyn-hospital-raid/ |work=amNewYork |publisher=Schneps Media |date=May 3, 2026 |access-date=May 3, 2026}}</ref>
==See also== * Criminal damage in English law * Property damage
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{Wiktionary-inline}}
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Category:Legal terminology Category:Vandalism
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