Distinguishing Criminal and Civil Law

Before explaining some differences between civil and criminal

functions and purposes, we must have some idea of the nature of law “law

is asset of rules which prohibit us from doing curtain things on pain

of punishment and which exist for the settling of disputes between

people and recognized legal entities and between privet individuals”

(Roger Thomas dose 2003-2004 p.7.).

As roger Thomas said there should be a set of rules for each

individual to prohibit him from doing things which are not right,

therefore there is a parliament and other different bodies which sets

the rules for the environment.

In our environment the law determines into two sections: civil and

criminal law, the difference between them is that the criminal law

aims to punish the offender where as the civil law aims to compensate

the victim. The word “Tort” comes from the French word meaning wrong,

so, “Tort” is a wrong, and since we are concerned in tort with

remedying wrongs rather than punishing them,

It’s a civil wrong, in the modern law the emphasis in tort has

developed very much towards a law of interrelated duties as a result,

and the law of negligence has achieved increasing importance,

And had developed humorous individual aspects. As Michel Jones puts it

more simply: “the law of tort is primarily concerned with providing a

remedy to person who has been harmed by the conduct of others” (Chris

turner/tort law, chapter 1; 2003)

It is important to realize that civil law is very different from

criminal law. Criminal law is a part of public law, while civil law is

the separate category of private law.

The reason that criminal law is a part of public law is that crime is

regarded as an action against the state and society as a whole. Civil

law is called private law because the issues it deals with are between

two individuals.

The two types of law have different aims and are dealt with in

different courts. A person who commits a crime is said to have