I think it's pretty stupid to get crim flagged for anything in a shadowy alleyway in which the room has no virtual population and the general "scene" is dark and deserted.
Why hasn't this been changed?
Agreed.
I'd send an email to the staff with said room and your arguments of why it should be a non-crim area.
I don't think an e-mail would really get anything resolved in this situation, as my character has already given into the crime and been dealt the punishment, which was sitting in jail for a while.... But it's jarring and counter-productive to accurate roleplay, in my opinion.
I was sort of hoping there would be more attention brought to this "problem" via the forums, and the staff saw that quite a few people agreed and have been in the same situation.
Typo or bug it. If it seems to be out of line, we'll fix it, eventually.
EDIT TO ADD: Typo or bug it in the room in which the problem occurred. Otherwise we don't know where it is.
I will do so when the opportunity presents itself, good to go.