Incest

Criminal Law: Crimes Against Sexual Morality: Incest

Introduction to Incest

The statutory crime of incest consists of either cohabitation or sexual intercourse between closely related persons, such as between parent and child or between siblings. Jurisdictions vary in their definition of what degree of relationship constitutes incest-for example, whether sex between first cousins or step-relatives is criminal. Many jurisdictions restrict the crime to acts between blood relatives-that is, people who are related by birth rather than marriage.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Incest in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Incest

In this Section

Crimes Against Sexual Morality (including Fornication, Adultery, Sodomy, Incest, Bigamy and Prostitution).

Incest, Sexual Behaviour and the Law

Further Reading

• Incest in the Encyclopedia of Sexual Behavior and the Law

The Legal History of Incest in Chinese Law

This section provides an overview of Incest in Chinese Law

Resources

See Also

• Legal Biography
• Legal Traditions
• Historical Laws
• History of Law

Further Reading

• Incest in Chinese Law in the Oxford International Encyclopedia of Legal History (Oxford University Press)
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Political and Legal History (Oxford University Press)
• Incest in Chinese Law in the Dictionary of Concepts in History, by Harry Ritter
• A Short History of Western Legal Theory, by John Kelly