What constitutes "criminal mischief" in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, "criminal mischief" is defined as the intentional damage to another person's property. This means that for an act to be classified as criminal mischief, it must involve a deliberate action aimed at causing injury or destruction to someone else's belongings. The emphasis on "intentionally" highlights that the individual must have had a purpose or conscious objective in committing the act, rather than it being accidental or incidental.

While reckless behavior that endangers others may fall under other criminal statutes, it does not specifically relate to the intent to damage property. Theft involves taking someone else's property with the intent to permanently deprive them of it, and vandalism without intent to harm fails to capture the necessary element of intentional damage crucial to criminal mischief. Therefore, the key factor in understanding criminal mischief is the intentional aspect of damaging the property of another.