Criminal law
Criminal law is a branch of law which concerns crimes which are committed against the public authority. It is distinct from civil law, which involves crimes which people commit against each other, not not necessarily against the public as a whole. Murder, for example, is covered under criminal law, because although there is a specific victim, murder in general runs against the interests of the public. By contrast, if someone fails to honor a contract, this is a matter for civil law.Substantive criminal law deals with the definitions of various crimes which are covered by the criminal code, while procedural criminal law is concerned with the prosecution of said crimes. Procedural law may also include sentencing recommendations which are designed to be used in the event that a victim is convicted of committing a crime. Under many criminal codes, convictions can only be obtained when the prosecution proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused did indeed commit the crime.
Three broad types of crimes appear in the criminal code: misdemeanors, felonies, and treason. Treason is of particular concern because it not only violates the public interest, but also threatens national security and the welfare of the nation itself, which is why treason is accompanied with such severe penalties. Misdemeanors are relatively minor crimes under criminal law, while felonies are more serious crimes which may accompanied with severe mandatory sentences.
Criminal justice is the application or study of laws regarding criminal behavior. Those who study criminal justice include the police, those working in a judiciary capacity, and lawyers who either defend or prosecute those accused of a crime. Others work to advocate for changes in the current system of criminal justice, such as those who render decisions regarding current laws, like members of Supreme Courts. It is important that the criminal justice system includes the word justice, since laws applied to those accused of a crime should be fair.
Justice also refers not only to the fair trial accorded to the citizens of most countries, but also to the just retribution for victims of a crime, as for example, seeing an offender jailed. Criminal justice is always a goal. All involved in the arrest, prosecution, defense or judgment of a suspect aim to be fair. However, this goal is not always met, accounting for the flexibility in the application of laws, the changes to laws that are unfair, and the judiciary power of interpretation.As a field of study, most who will work with parts of the law that involve behavior defined as criminal, will study criminal justice. Training and certification for police officers often is merely called criminal justice. Lawyers with a special interest in either the prosecution or defense of suspected criminals may also choose to major in criminal justice in a four-year degree program. Knowledge of the laws, rights and privileges of victims and suspects is essential to aiming for justice in both the court and law enforcement systems.