Arson Law

ATF is law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice with unique responsibilities dedicated to protecting the public, reducing violent crime, and enforcing the Federal explosives law and regulations.

The elements of arson are setting a fire that reaches a structure and, in turn, burns said structure. Arson law also treats explosions as burnings. The common law rule is that however slight the burning, the arson is complete, so it doesn't matter how much burning takes place.

The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program defines arson as any willful or malicious burning or attempting to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.

Base Offense Level (Apply the Greatest): (1) 24, if the offense (A) created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to any person other than a participant in the offense, and that risk was created knowingly; or (B) involved the destruction or attempted destruction of a dwelling, an airport, an aircraft, a mass transportation facility, a mass transportation vehicle, a ferry, a public transportation system, a state or government facility, an infrastructure facility, or a place of public use ; (2) 20, if the offense (A) created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to any person other than a participant in the offense; (B) involved the destruction or attempted destruction of a structure other than (i) a dwelling, or (ii) an airport, an aircraft, a mass transportation facility, a mass transportation vehicle, a ferry, a public transportation system, a state or government facility, an infrastructure facility, or a place of public use; or (C) endangered (i) a dwelling, (ii) a structure other than a dwelling, or (iii) an airport, an aircraft, a mass transportation facility, a mass transportation vehicle, a ferry, a public transportation system, a state or government facility, an infrastructure facility, or a place of public use; or (3) 2 plus the offense level from §2B1.1 (Theft, Property Destruction, and Fraud).

To establish guidelines and incentives for States to establish criminal arsonist and criminal bomber registries and to require the Attorney General to establish a national criminal arsonist and criminal bomber registry program, and for other purposes.

As an entity of the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency, the mission of the USFA is to foster a solid foundation in prevention, preparedness, and response by providing national leadership to local fire and emergency services.

At the time that the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 amended Title 18, United States Code, by adding sections 841 et seq., governing the importation, manufacture, distribution and storage of explosive materials and creating certain Federal offenses pertaining to the unlawful use of explosives, Congress expressly disclaimed intent to occupy the field to the exclusion of state law on the same subject matter.

The Confederation of Fire Protection Association Europe (CFPA-Europe) is an association of national organisations in Europe concerned primarily with fire prevention & protection and also safety & security and other associated risks.

An Act to revise the law of England and Wales as to offences of damage to property, and to repeal or amend as respects the United Kingdom certain enactments relating to such offences; and for connected purposes.

Arson is the act of intentionally and maliciously destroying or damaging property through the use of fire. Within this definition there are four core elements: * the lighting of fire - fire is the fundamental element of arson; if there is no fire lit, there is no arson (some legal definitions also include lighting explosives); * intention or wilfulness - excludes fires started by natural causes or accidents; * malice - excludes fires started intentionally with positive or legitimate intent; and * property - there must be some kind of property or object that is burned.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs represents the leadership of over 1.2 million firefighters and emergency responders. IAFC members are the world's leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation. Since 1873, the IAFC has provided a forum for its members to exchange ideas and uncover the latest products and services available to first responders.

The Arson Prevention Bureau website provides advice and information to help tackle the problem of arson nationally. On this site you will find statistics on arson trends, measures you can take to protect yourself, information about arson and arson prevention, and more detailed research reports.

About one in every four fires is intentionally set -- and almost half of these fires was set by youth under the age of 18. Arson is a serious crime. It injures and kills people, destroys properties, and destabilizes neighborhoods. According to the FBI, juvenile firesetters accounted for roughly half (at least 49%) or more of those arrested for arson -- for the ninth straight year.

The International Association of Arson Investigators is dedicated to improving the professional development of fire and explosion investigators by being the global resource for fire investigation training, technology and research.

Mission and Goals: To be the leading international, non-profit, professional organization committed to providing intelligence, networking, training and education to the law enforcement community and other disciplines in property crime investigations and prevention.

NCJRS is a federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide.

Staying Alive is a non-profit organization that promotes public safety education through classroom and community multimedia presentations; public informational displays at schools, events, shopping malls and community centers; public awareness campaigns; and through information, interactive games and exercises available on its Internet web site. Staying Alive has developed a successful age-appropriate curriculum program targeted at K-8 students to raise awareness about fire safety.

This follow-up to the original report, AMERICA BURNING, reviews the progress made to combat the fire problem and to redefine the strategies need to further reduce loss of life and property to fire.

Pyromania Symptoms: Deliberate and purposeful fire setting on more than one occasion. Tension or affective arousal before the act. Fascination with, interest in, curiosity about, or attraction to fire and its situational contexts (e.g., paraphernalia, uses, consequences). Pleasure, gratification, or relief when setting fires, or when witnessing or participating in their aftermath. The fire setting is not done for monetary gain, as an expression of socio-political ideology, to conceal criminal activity, to express anger or vengeance, to improve one's living circumstances, in response to a delusion or hallucination, or as a result of impaired judgment.

Articles written by attorneys and experts worldwide discussing legal aspects related to Criminal Law including: arson, assault, battery, bribery, burglary, child abuse, child pornography, computer crime, controlled substances, credit card fraud, criminal defense, criminal law, drugs and narcotics, DUI, DWI, embezzlement, fraud, expungements, felonies, homicide, identity theft, manslaughter, money laundering, murder, perjury, prostitution, rape, RICO, robbery, sex crimes, shoplifting, theft, weapons, white collar crime and wire fraud.