Civil+criminal law

• what is the ruling court?

  Supreme Court
• Criminal law courts?

  • court of appeal
  • crown court
  • magistrates court
• Civil courts?

  • court of appeal
  • high court
  • county court
• What court does both criminal and civil law?

  Court of appeal
• What are the two types of law?

  • criminal law
  • civil law
• What does civil law cover?

  • private matters
  • disputes between individuals Or groups
  • settled by parliament
  • doesn’t involve police
  • Often about rights
• Examples of civil law?

  • celebrity suing a newspaper
  • suing company that sold you faulty goods
  • claiming damages from an accident at work
  • taking neighbour to court over large tree that block sunlight
• How does civil law work?

  • person brining claim= claimant, other person= defendant
  • c has to prove d is wrong
  • heard before judge
  • in county court
• What does criminal law cover?

  • public matter
  • used when laws have allegedly been broken
  • police always involved
  • crown court prosecutes
• What are the penalties for criminal law?

  • fines
  • imprisonment
• What is a public matter?

  Issues that effect everyone
• Examples of criminal law?

  Theft

  murder
• How does criminal law work?

  • innocent until proven guilty
  • heard by judge and jury in crown court
  • heard by 1 full time magistrate or 3 magistrates in magistrate court
• What are criminal law cases classified as?

  • summary only
  • triable
  • either way
  • indictable
• Where do less serious crimes go in criminal law?

  Magistrates
• Where do more serious crimes go in criminal law?

  crown court
• What are summary only offences?

  • least serious offences
• Examples of summary only offences?

  • driving offences
  • assault
• Penalties for criminal law?

  • community service
  • short imprisonment
• What are either way offences?

  • mid range offences
  • choice to how they’re dealt with
• Examples of either way offences?

  theft, burglary, ABH
• Penalties for either way offences

  • fines
  • community service
  • imprisonment
• What are indictable offences

  • most serious offences
• Examples of indictable offences?

  • murder
  • manslaughter
  • rape
• Penalties for indictable offences

  Up to life imrisionment
• What is the burden of proof?

  • on prosecution
  • job is to prove case against D -not job to prove c is innocent
• What is the standard of proof?

  • The level to which the case has been proved
  • ‘beyond all reasonable doubt’.
• What act gave ’innocent until proven guilty?

  Human rights act 1998
• Enforcing the law: police

  • do not make the law, enforce it
• What do the police do?

  • investigate crimes
  • gather evidence
  • arrest suspects
  • bring suspects to court
• Enforcing the law: judges

  • makes sure the trail is conducted properly
  • imposes sentence
• Enforcing the law: juries

  • only sit in crown court
  • have to agree on verdict
  • court will accept majority vote
• What is a majority vote?

  10-2
• Enforcing the law: magistrates

  • hear all cases first
  • limit to their sentences
• What is the most the magistrates court can give?

  • 12 months imprisonment
  • £5000 fine
• Types of enforcing the law: sentences?

  • Discharges
  • fines
  • community sentence
  • prison
• What are the two types of discharge?

  • absolute
  • conditional
• What is an absolute discharge? 


  when the defendant is let off with a warning
• What is a conditional discharge?

  when the defendant is let off provided they behave for a set period
• What is a community sentence?

  When the defendant works for the community

  They also have a curfew