Editing Wrongdoing (section)

==Legal wrong==
A '''violation of law''' is any act (or, less commonly, failure to act) that fails to abide by existing [[law]]. Violations generally include both [[crime]]s and [[civil wrong]]s. Some acts, such as [[fraud]], can violate civil and criminal laws. In law, a wrong can be a [[legal injury]], which is any damage resulting from a violation of a [[Natural rights and legal rights|legal right]]. A legal wrong can also imply being contrary to the principles of justice or law. It means that something is contrary to conscience or morality and results in treating others unjustly. If the loss caused by a wrong is minor enough, there is no compensation, which principle is known as ''[[De minimis|de minimis non curat lex]]''. Otherwise, damages apply.

The law of England recognised the concept of a "wrong" before it recognised the distinction between [[civil wrong]]s (governed by [[Civil law (common law)|civil law]]) and crimes (defined by [[criminal law]]), which distinction was developed during the thirteenth century.<ref>[[Owen Hood Phillips|O. Hood Phillips]], [[A First Book of English Law]], Sweet and Maxwell, 4th ed., 1960, pp. 207, 208, 213</ref>

Civil law violations usually lead to [[civil penalty|civil penalties]] like [[fine (penalty)|fine]]s, criminal offenses to more severe [[punishment]]s.

The severity of the punishment should reflect the severity of the violation ([[retributive justice]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.island.is/en/education_and_society/citizens_and_democracy/violation_of_the_law_and_punishment/|title = Violation of the Law and Punishment &#124; Ísland.is}}</ref> In realistic situations and for minor violations, however, [[altruistic punishment]] was shown not 'to fit the crime'.<ref name="Balafoutas Nikiforakis Rockenbach 2016 p. ">{{cite journal | last1=Balafoutas | first1=Loukas | last2=Nikiforakis | first2=Nikos | last3=Rockenbach | first3=Bettina | title=Altruistic punishment does not increase with the severity of norm violations in the field | journal=Nature Communications | volume=7 | pages=13327 | date=2016-11-01 | issn=2041-1723 | doi=10.1038/ncomms13327 | pmid=27802261 | pmc=5097122 | bibcode=2016NatCo...713327B }}</ref> This subdivision is similar to the distinction between [[misdemeanour]]s, and [[felonies]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/crime-law/Classification-of-crimes#ref500371|title = Crime - Classification of crimes| date=17 August 2024 }}</ref>

Other examples of violations of the law include:

* [[Infraction]], in United States law, minor or [[petty offense]]s that do not require [[jury trial]]. In common usage, "violations" are treated as synonymous with infractions
* [[Willful violation]], in U.S. law, an act with intentional disregard for a regulation, statute, and policy
* [[Infringement (disambiguation)|Infringement]], various violations of laws or rights, usually used in the context of intellectual property
** e.g. [[copyright violation]]
* [[Breach of contract]]
* [[Probation violation]]
* against [[traffic rules]]
** [[Moving violation]], any violation of law committed by a driver while the vehicle is in motion
** [[Parking violation]], parking a motor vehicle in a restricted place or an unauthorized manner