Criminal Law Purpose

Criminal Law Purpose

Criminal Law: Purpose of Criminal Law:

Introduction to Criminal Law Purpose

Criminal law seeks to protect the public from harm by inflicting punishment upon those who have already done harm and by threatening with punishment those who are tempted to do harm. The harm that criminal law aims to prevent varies. It may be physical harm, death, or bodily injury to human beings; the loss of or damage to property; sexual immorality; danger to the government; disturbance of the public peace and order; or injury to the public health. Conduct that threatens to cause, but has not yet caused, a harmful result may be enough to constitute a crime. Thus, criminal law often strives to avoid harm by forbidding conduct that may lead to harmful results.

One purpose of both civil law and criminal law in the common law system is to respond to harmful acts committed by individuals. However, each type of law provides different responses. A person who is injured by the action of another may bring a civil lawsuit against the person who caused the harm. If the victim prevails, the civil law generally provides that the person who caused the injury must pay money damages to compensate for the harm suffered. A person who acts in a way that is considered harmful to society in general may be prosecuted by the government in a criminal case. If the individual is convicted (found guilty) of the crime, he or she will be punished under criminal law by either a fine, imprisonment, or death. In some cases, a person’s wrongful and harmful act can invoke both criminal and civil law responses.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

Guide to Criminal Law Purpose

In this Section

In this Section, contents include, among others: Criminal Law, Criminal Law Purpose, Criminal Punishment Theories, Criminal Punishment Retribution, Criminal Deterrence, Criminal Restraint, Rehabilitation, Restoration, Criminal Punishment Conflicts Among Goals and Classification of Crimes.


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