Violation is another term for an offense or an infraction. All of these terms generally mean an act of disobeying a law or a legal order. There are several categories of violations that exist at various levels of the legal system. Committing violations can result in a variety of consequences depending on the type of disobedient behavior.
A violation is a wrongdoing or some type of disobedience. Everyone is generally bound by the laws in the jurisdiction where they are. Where a person is determines what is or is not a violation. There may be laws that exist in one jurisdiction that do not exist in another. When a person acts illegally, he violates the law and may be held accountable.
This is often true even if the individual did not know that the law existed when he broke it. In some instances, sincere mistakes, even when illegal, are overlooked or excused. There is a wide range of consequences for violations, however, and which consequences are imposed generally depends on several factors.
To begin with, laws are often classified into categories of severity. A minor infraction, such as a misdemeanor, may not result in anything more than a warning or a fine. A major violation could result in life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Another factor considered is the number of previous violations a person has or how many he committed on a given occasion. When a person commits too many violations, it can appear to authorities that he has blatant disregard for the law. This can result in a person being subjected to severe consequences he otherwise would not endure.
Laws are not, however, the only way a person's behavior can be legally dictated. There are some authorities that do not make laws but which have the authority to issue orders. For example, a worker at the Department of Child Support Enforcement, can order a non-custodial parent to pay a certain amount in child support each month. If this person does not adhere to this order, a violation is committed and legal action can be taken.
The same is true in instances where people are placed on probation. The terms of one person's probation may differ from those of another individual. Each set of orders, however, is legally binding and refusal to follow any one of them is a violation. These types of infractions can often result in consequences similar to violations where laws are broken.