CRIMINAL LAWS

A body of laws that apply to any criminal acts can be defined as criminal law. Where a particular individual fails to follow the set rules and regulations or commits an act that goes against the law will be considered as a criminal offense. Criminal law penalties engage in the forfeiture of one’s rights and incarceration. The main aims of criminal law are to discourage crime, to see to the improvement of the offender and in some cases reform the perpetrator, to provide reprisal for the act, and to avert further crimes.

There are mainly two types of Criminal Laws: felonies and misdemeanors. Felony crimes are more serious in nature as it involves more grave offenses. Some examples that come under felony are manslaughter, murder, Rape, dealing drugs, arson, and robbery. Felonies carry a penalty of one year or more, in nearly every state in the U.S., depending upon the particular nature of the crime and the jurisdiction where the felony crime was committed. This is mainly because every state has a different regulatory body of criminal laws which differ from one state to another. There are also federal criminal law statutes which apply to every state in the U.S. On the other hand, a criminal law which has another type of offense which is commonly known as a misdemeanor is a lower level criminal offense, like petty thefts, minor assaults, traffic offenses, etc. And the punishment for such crimes is usually less than one year or maximum one year.

To either prosecute or defend oneself in a criminal matter, Criminal Litigation is mainly the process of going to trial in a criminal court. It is specifically stated in the Due Process clause of the United States Constitution that individuals “may not be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.” In common man’s terms this means that before the government actually orders the incarceration for an individual who allegedly has committed a crime, the person should have the chance to put forward his arguments before a court of law. There are various kinds of punishments and sentences for various kinds of offenses and as per the gravity of the crime, those are implemented. In either Federal or State Court, criminal Litigation can take place depending on the nature of the crime.

Between civil and criminal laws there are a number of crucial differences. The most important thing about CRIMINAL LITIGATION is that it involves the prosecution of a defendant charged with a crime by the State or Federal government. When there are matters between entities or individuals against each other for issues such as contract disputes and torts it comes under the purview of CIVIL LAW. The purpose of CIVIL LITIGATION is to “correct a wrong.” Whereas the idea of CRIMINAL LITIGATION is to punish the criminal, so that society remains safe.