Abstract
This study aims to review the relevant literature on the thoughts of psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan about the concept of crime to convey them comprehensively. Lacanian psychoanalysis aims to ap- proach the concept of crime without to de-identify and to mechanize the criminal act and the perpetrator. According to Lacan, subjects can be categorized into three clinical structures: Neurosis, psychosis, and perversion. These clinical structures described by him indicate how the subject copes with the Oedipus complex and castration, and these clinical structures are separated from each other according to the funda- mental defense mechanisms they use. In connection with the relationship of these described structures to crime, Lacan stated that the motivation behind committing a crime of neurotic individuals compared to psy- chotic individuals is related to self-punishment. He also argued that psychotic individuals do not expect any punishment for the crime they committed and therefore labeling these people who cannot be able to recognize the law as criminals lead to a problematic approach. In conclusion, it is possible to say criminality itself is not a descriptive category and that the structure of a perpetrator can be any of the three structures.