Criminal law Facts for Kids

Criminal law is a special set of rules that deals with crimes. It's about protecting important things like people's safety, their belongings, and making sure everyone follows the rules of society. When someone breaks these rules, criminal law explains how they might be punished or helped to become a better person. It's different from civil law, which is more about solving disagreements between people and paying back for harm done, rather than punishment.

History of Criminal Law
Why Do We Have Criminal Law?
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History of Criminal Law

Long ago, the first civilizations didn't really separate rules about crimes from other rules. The very first written laws were made by the Sumerians. Around 2100–2050 BC, a king named Ur-Nammu created a written law code. Another important early set of laws was the Code of Hammurabi from ancient Babylon.

In Roman law, rules about stealing or hurting someone were often seen as ways to make the person who caused harm pay money to the victim. Over time, especially after the 12th century, the idea of separating criminal law (about punishing crimes) from civil law (about solving disputes) started to grow in Europe.

The modern idea of a state giving out justice in a court became much clearer in the 1700s. This is when European countries began to have police forces to help enforce laws.

Why Do We Have Criminal Law?

Criminal law has several main goals when someone breaks the rules:

Making Things Fair (Retribution)

This idea means that people who commit crimes should suffer in some way. They might have gained something unfairly or caused harm to others. So, criminal law tries to "balance the scales" by putting criminals at a disadvantage. For example, if someone harms another, they might lose some of their own freedom.

Stopping Future Crimes (Deterrence)

Stopping the Offender: This aims to give a punishment that is strong enough to stop the person who committed the crime from doing it again.
Stopping Others: This aims to show everyone else what happens if they break the law. By punishing criminals, it discourages other people from committing similar crimes.

Keeping Society Safe (Incapacitation)

This goal is simply to keep criminals away from society. This protects the public from their bad actions. Today, this is often done by sending people to prison. In the past, methods like the death penalty or sending people away from their homes were used for the same reason.

Helping People Change (Rehabilitation)

This goal tries to help a person who committed a crime become a good member of society again. The main aim is to stop them from committing more crimes by helping them understand why their actions were wrong and how to change.

Fixing the Harm (Restoration)

This idea focuses on the victim of the crime. The goal is to fix any harm or injury that the criminal caused to the victim. For example, if someone stole money, they might be required to pay it back. This is often combined with other goals of criminal justice and is similar to ideas in civil law about returning the victim to how they were before the harm happened.