Which offense is a Specific Intent crime against property?

• A. Larceny
• B. Battery
• C. Arson
• D. Robbery

Answer: (A)

Specific intent means the offender has a particular goal in mind when committing the act—something beyond merely doing the act itself. In property crimes, the defining specific goal is the intent to permanently deprive the owner of the property. Larceny centers on this precise aim: taking someone else’s property with the purpose of permanently depriving them of it. That mental state is what marks it as a specific-intent offense against property.

Battery is a crime against a person and relies on intent to cause harmful or offensive contact (a general intent framework rather than a specific “to achieve a particular result” mindset). Arson involves malicious burning of property, driven by malice toward damage rather than the single-minded goal to deprive the owner of the property. Robbery combines theft with force or intimidation and is classified as a violent/other category that includes taking with force, not simply the targeted, single-purpose intent to steal.

So the offense that best fits the idea of a specific intent crime against property is the one defined by the intent to permanently deprive the owner of their property.