Crimes are sometimes broadly classified or categorized by their nature—such as (1) crimes that are harmful to the victim’s body (assault, battery, rape, and murder) and are known as crimes against the person; and (2) crimes that are harmful to the victim by depriving him of his property or damaging his property and are known as crimes against property (criminal trespassing, burglary, robbery, bribery, blackmail, theft, arson).

In Georgia, crimes are indeed categorized by their nature, aligning with the broader legal tradition. Crimes against the person, such as assault, battery, rape, and murder, are offenses that cause physical harm or a threat of harm to individuals. These are considered very serious and carry significant penalties. For example, Georgia law defines assault (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-20) as an attempt to commit a violent injury to the person of another or an act that places another in reasonable apprehension of immediately receiving a violent injury. Battery (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-23) involves intentionally causing substantial physical harm or visible bodily harm to another. Rape (O.C.G.A. § 16-6-1) is defined as a person having carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will, and murder (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-1) involves the unlawful killing of another human being with malice aforethought. On the other hand, crimes against property, such as criminal trespass (O.C.G.A. § 16-7-21), burglary (O.C.G.A. § 16-7-1), robbery (O.C.G.A. § 16-8-40), theft (O.C.G.A. § 16-8-2), and arson (O.C.G.A. § 16-7-60), involve the taking of property, illegal entry into property, or damage to property. These crimes are also taken seriously, with penalties varying based on the severity of the offense and the value of the property involved. Georgia's legal system provides specific statutes for each of these crimes, outlining the elements that constitute the offense and the associated penalties.