Is commit a criminal word

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I heard a mental health group object to the term 'commit' as in 'commit suicide' as they say commit is a criminal term. Is it?


This is just my curiosity. I wondered what people think. I can't really see it as criminal as there are many other uses of the word commit.

hullaballoo

Yes, in relation to suicide unfortunately the term relates to the commission of a criminal offence.

The use of the word commit in general where it is followed by an action would tend to mean a criminal offence. You don't commit marriage and you don't commit driving, as examples.

I suppose the phrase is not thought of in criminal terms any more but the origins are in that sphere. Better to say someone took their own life or use the euphemism personal tragedy if you prefer.

Marcusm

Wilson Wrong Lapel wrote: »

I heard a mental health group object to the term 'commit' as in 'commit suicide' as they say commit is a criminal term. Is it?


This is just my curiosity. I wondered what people think. I can't really see it as criminal as there are many other uses of the word commit.

IN olden time, persons suffering from mental health afflictions would often be referred to as have been "committed to an asylum" or "committed to an institution". IN this context "committed" would be meant as forcibly or compulsorily placed in.

Peregrinus

The word has two distinct meanings.

The first is to entrust, or place in the care of. This may be forcible or involuntary, but it doesn't have to be. Somebody who is suffering from mental illness and is a danger to themselves or other and is in need of treatment may be committed to a mental hospital for treatment, and likewise somebody can be committed to prison while awaiting trial for an offence, and that's obviously involuntary. But I can commit something to memory, or commit it to paper (i.e. write it down) or commit my soul to God or whatever; that's basically the same sense. It's from this sense that we get the word "committee"; the committee of a club, for example, is so called because the responsibility of adminstering the affairs of the club has been committed to them.

The second meaning is to perpetrate, to do something wrong. We commit crimes, sins, errors, etc. And this is certainly the sense invoked in "committing suicide". The implication is that (a) suicide is a bad thing, and (b) you are a bad person for having done this bad thing. It's not confined to legal bad things, or even very bad things, though - you can commit a grammatical error in your writing, or a social faux-pas by turning up to a dinner party earlier than invited.

One eyed Jack

Wilson Wrong Lapel wrote: »

I heard a mental health group object to the term 'commit' as in 'commit suicide' as they say commit is a criminal term. Is it?

This is just my curiosity. I wondered what people think. I can't really see it as criminal as there are many other uses of the word commit.

Until 1993, suicide was a criminal act -


Criminal Law (Suicide) Act, 1993


2.—(1) Suicide shall cease to be a crime


And so it was perfectly appropriate to use the term ‘commit suicide’ in that context.

You’ll still quite commonly hear the term used in relation to suicide, but the reason mental health organisations advise against the use of the term, and advise using terms such as the person died by suicide, is to destigmatise suicide as it is no longer a criminal act. Essentially, the person is not to be thought of as a criminal.

s7ryf3925pivug

To 'perform suicide' then? that sounds more inappropriate. To 'deliberately kill themself' is a bit of a mouthful. Is there a suggested alternative term?

I don't think many people think of it in criminal terms as a result of hearing the word commit. Maybe someone with training in criminal law.

Peregrinus

"Commit suicide" is still a common idiom throughout the English-speaking world, even though suicide has been decriminalised in most countries. This is partly because of the lack of an appealing alternative. But it's also because, although we no longer criminalise suicide, we view it very negative terms, and we use "commit" for acts that we view negatively - we commit adultery, for example, though that has never been a crime.

I get why a mental health group would object to the term - it has overtones of condemnation not just of the act but also of the actor who carries it out. But I don't think it's going to be an easy idiom to shift. "He/she died by suicide", or something along those lines, might work.

ZX7R

One eyed Jack wrote: »

Until 1993, suicide was a criminal act -


Criminal Law (Suicide) Act, 1993


2.—(1) Suicide shall cease to be a crime


And so it was perfectly appropriate to use the term ‘commit suicide’ in that context.

You’ll still quite commonly hear the term used in relation to suicide, but the reason mental health organisations advise against the use of the term, and advise using terms such as the person died by suicide, is to destigmatise suicide as it is no longer a criminal act. Essentially, the person is not to be thought of as a criminal.

Would it still not be a criminal act till nothing untoward has been established
The seen of the act would still be a criminal crime seen until a Garda investigation is completed

Peregrinus

ZX7R wrote: »

Would it still not be a criminal act till nothing untoward has been established
The seen of the act would still be a criminal crime seen until a Garda investigation is completed

No. A suicide is likely to be investigated as a suspicious death but dying, even in a suspicious manner, is not a crime.