Inside Criminal Law

The purpose of criminal law is to stop criminal behavior and to punish individuals for bad acts or crimes they have committed.   Criminal law also provides society with the belief that justice will be carried out by society to protect all members of the public and perhaps provide retribution for criminal acts that have been committed.   There are two main functions of criminal law.   The first function is to protect society from harm to any individual’s physical safety or property.   This harm can be described as murder, theft, or even arson.   The second main function is to protect society’s interests from harm that can be caused by unsafe foods or consumer products, a polluted environment or a poorly constructed building.   Information about the American criminal law can be found in the constitution.   The constitution allows the States to make their own laws but also gives the United States Supreme Court the authority to strike down any law the State makes if it is unconstitutional.   Congress and the State legislation are also allowed to pass laws that are called Statutes while the City council pass what they call ordinances to make up what is known as criminal law.   These laws are intended to provide the states with additional crime control in the areas where the local law enforcement has not been very effective.  

Next there are different reasons the responsibility of a criminal can be limited.   These reasons can also be referred to as excuse defenses.   One of these reasons would be due to insanity.   For example, an individual who has a history of a mental illness is charged with pushing an innocent individual in front of an oncoming car killing them instantly.   The accused would need to prove that at the time of the incident he or she did not possess the necessary mental capacity to be held responsible for the crime they have committed.   Another reason would be called a mistaken idea which is when a law was not published or reasonably known to the public or when...