When does a tort rise to the level of being treated as a crime?

Answer 1

It's not a matter of "level" as much as whether a statute exists against the alleged action by the defendant. Legislatures write certain statutes to protect people, but cannot anticipate every sort of victimization that could take place. Frankly, lawmakers would rather not force the police and courts to punish everyone who hurts another if the parties can work things out. Tort law protects people against victimization by others when no statute exists and when the parties can't agree.