Criminal Law
Criminal law is a branch of law that sets the standards for what one’s behavior must be. Many people are arrested due to violations of criminal law. If an individual breaks a criminal law then they are subject to any punishment that corresponds to that criminal law. For instance, committing murder is a criminal law and state laws vary on how it should be punished. Depending on the circumstances, some states will issue the death penalty while other states will give a more lenient sentence. The government and police officers are in charge of enforcing criminal laws.
• Criminal laws were created to control human behavior, conduct and impulses. There are criminal laws designed to prevent everything from rape to murder to drunk driving. Controlling impulses is important since there are many times when the only things stopping an individual from committing a robbery or murder is the thought of prison. Criminal laws are supposed to pick up where an individual’s morals leave off.
• The state is in charge of prosecuting those that are charged in any manner of criminal law. An individual is entitled to plead guilty, not guilty, or no contest when criminal charges are brought against them. The difference between pleading no-contest and not guilty is that pleading no-contest is usually done when an individual is facing court cases that may include a civil lawsuit besides a court case involving criminal laws that have been broken. No-contest is not an admission of guilt. An individual will not have a trail if they plead no contest, nor will they escape punishment for the criminal law violation. However, a public court case will be avoided, which is most important to some defendants.
• There are three types of criminal laws. The most serious criminal law is called felony criminal law. Some examples of felony law is drug sales, extreme human rights violations such as assault, murder and rape. A violation of this type of criminal law may result in prison terms, fines and in very serious cases, the death penalty. A less serious criminal law offense is known as a misdemeanor. These criminal law crimes can include driving while intoxicated and shoplifting. While many misdemeanors do not result in jail time, some do although the period of time spent in jail will usually be less than one year. A more common punishment for these crimes include community service or fines. The last type of criminal law that one can break is an infraction, which includes things like speeding tickets or disorderly conduct.
The penalties for breaking criminal laws can result in everything from small fines to death sentences. If criminal laws are broken, then it will up to a judge or jury to decide what the outcome will be. Individuals should take care to act in a legal manner so that they do not have to worry about the penalties of breaking criminal laws.