criminal law

criminal law
criminal law n: public law that deals with crimes and their prosecution compare civil law
◇ Substantive criminal law defines crimes, and procedural criminal law sets down criminal procedure. Substantive criminal law was originally common law for the most part. It was later codified and is now found in federal and state statutory law.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. . 1996.

criminal law
Criminal law is the contravention of rules imposed by the Crown. It is imposed by way of fines, imprisonment or other sanctions by the Crown or its various agencies which are given powers to prosecute under legislation; e.g. local authority trading standards officers (products), the Health and Safety Executive (workplace safety) and the Environment Agency.

Easyform Glossary of Law Terms. — UK law terms.


criminal law
n.
The branch of law that deals with the prosecution and punishment of criminals; the body of law that determines what constitutes a crime and what constitutes suitable punishment.

The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. . 2008.


criminal law
Laws written by Congress and state legislators that make certain behavior illegal and punishable by fines and/or imprisonment. Criminal law also includes decisions by appellate courts that define crimes and regulate criminal procedure in the absence of clear legislated rules. By contrast, civil laws are not punishable by imprisonment. In order to be found guilty of a criminal law, the prosecution must show that the defendant intended to act as he did; in civil law, you may sometimes be responsible for your actions even though you did not intend the consequences. For example, civil law makes you financially responsible for a car accident you caused but didn't intend.
Category: Criminal Law
Category: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits

Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. . 2009.


criminal law
n. The area of law pertaining to the violation of offenses as well as the investigation, charging, prosecution, and punishment of offenders.
See also civil law.

Webster's New World Law Dictionary. . 2000.


criminal law
A body of rules and statutes that defines conduct prohibited by the government because it threatens and harms public safety and welfare and that establishes punishment to be imposed for the commission of such acts.

Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.


criminal law
A body of rules and statutes that defines conduct prohibited by the government because it threatens and harms public safety and welfare and that establishes punishment to be imposed for the commission of such acts.

Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.

criminal law
n.
   those statutes dealing with crimes against the public and members of the public, with penalties and all the procedures connected with charging, trying, sentencing and imprisoning defendants convicted of crimes.
   See also: crime, felony, misdemeanor

Law dictionary. . 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • criminal law — ➔ law * * * criminal law UK US noun [U] LAW ► the part of the legal system which relates to punishing people who have committed a criminal act: »Investigation of breaches of the criminal law is generally the responsibility of the police. →… …   Financial and business terms

  • Criminal law — Criminal Crim i*nal (kr?m ? nal), a. [L. criminalis, fr. crimen: cf. F. criminel. See {Crime}.] 1. Guilty of crime or sin. [1913 Webster] The neglect of any of the relative duties renders us criminal in the sight of God. Rogers. [1913 Webster] 2 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Criminal law — Law Law (l[add]), n. [OE. lawe, laghe, AS. lagu, from the root of E. lie: akin to OS. lag, Icel. l[ o]g, Sw. lag, Dan. lov; cf. L. lex, E. legal. A law is that which is laid, set, or fixed; like statute, fr. L. statuere to make to stand. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • criminal law — n [U] laws concerning crimes and their punishments →↑civil law, common law ↑common law ▪ There was not enough evidence to bring a prosecution under the criminal law …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • criminal law — n. that area of law which deals in any way with crimes and their punishments …   English World dictionary

  • criminal law — noun uncount the system of laws that deals with crimes and the punishment of criminals …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Criminal law — For the 1989 film, see Criminal Law (film). Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and… …   Wikipedia

  • criminal law — the laws of a state or country dealing with criminal offenses and their punishments. [1580 90] * * * Body of law that defines criminal offenses, regulates the apprehension, charging, and trial of suspected offenders, and fixes punishment for… …   Universalium

  • Criminal Law — In diesem Artikel oder Abschnitt fehlen folgende wichtige Informationen: Vollständige Handlung Du kannst Wikipedia helfen, indem du sie recherchierst und einfügst …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • criminal law — The substantive criminal law is that law which for the purpose of preventing harm to society, (a) declares what conduct is criminal, and (b) prescribes the punishment to be imposed for such conduct. It includes the definition of specific offenses …   Black's law dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”