{"id":2629,"date":"2015-03-18T15:09:14","date_gmt":"2015-03-18T15:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ourlandstoo.org\/?page_id=2629"},"modified":"2025-03-24T10:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T10:33:09","slug":"and-with-2-types-of-law-systems","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/?page_id=2629","title":{"rendered":"Civil Law and Criminal Law &#8211; what&#8217;s the difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Protecting citizens from harmful acts is basic to an orderly society.\u00a0 To protect citizens, governments pass laws making wrongful acts crimes.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/?page_id=6964\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Criminal law<\/a> generally deals with <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/?page_id=10395\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">crimes<\/a>, whereas <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/?page_id=10714\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">civil law<\/a> generally deals with <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/?page_id=7037\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">torts<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/?page_id=11508\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">breaches of contract<\/a>.\u00a0 Certain incidents may give rise to a civil proceeding <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>and <\/em><\/span>a criminal proceeding; to begin to comprehend the legal system, first one must know the difference between <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/?page_id=10714\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">civil law<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/?page_id=6964\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criminal law<\/a> <em>and <\/em>how the two systems are intertwined <em>and\u00a0<\/em>act as a sort of checks and balances against one other.<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #993300;\">Crimes &amp; Torts<\/span><\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #993300;\">What&#8217;s the Difference?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><a style=\"color: #008000;\" href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=6964\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">Crime<\/span><\/a><\/span> &#8211; a wrongful act that the state or federal government has identified as a crime because it injures or interferes with the interest of society.\u00a0 Crimes are identified within a\u00a0<strong>publicly-accessible, fixed body\u00a0of\u00a0statutes <\/strong><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=2059\">penal codes, ordinances, building codes, etc.<\/a>)<\/em><\/span><strong style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0called laws, which are enforced by officers.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong> \u00a0 \u00a0A criminal case is a <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=6964\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criminal proceeding<\/a><\/strong><strong>.\u00a0 The accused is called a &#8216;defendant&#8221;.\u00a0 The victim is:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong> the person who has been hurt.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>the state.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>other governmental agency<\/strong> <em>(i.e. city, county, federal government, etc.)<\/em><strong>.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The charges are brought by the government.\u00a0 If the defendant loses, the defendant must serve a sentence.\u00a0 A fine is paid to the government and there is possible <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=6911\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">restitution<\/a> to the victim.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Many acts that result in harm to others are not crimes.\u00a0 Accidentally hitting another car with your own is not a crime, even though it could cause harm.\u00a0 It is a <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=7037\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tort<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><a style=\"color: #008000;\" href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=7037\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">Tort<\/span><\/a><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">&#8211; a wrongful act that injures or interferes with another&#8217;s person or property.\u00a0 A tort can be intentional or unintentional (negligence), or it can be a tort of strict <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=7031\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">liability<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/b><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>.\u00a0 A tort case is a civil court proceeding.\u00a0 The accused is the &#8220;defendant&#8221; and the victim is a &#8220;plaintiff.&#8221;\u00a0 The charges are brought by the plaintiff.\u00a0 If the defendant loses, the defendant has to pay damages to the plaintiff.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #993300;\"><strong>Tort cases are heard in Civil Proceedings:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The legal process is quite different from <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=6964\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criminal proceedings<\/a>. The civil process provides a legal means for victims of harmful acts to be compensated for the harm done to them.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #993300;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\"> \u00a0To win a tort case, the plaintiff must prove two things:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>(1) the defendant committed the tort and<br \/>\n(2) as a result of the tort, the plaintiff or the plaintiff&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=7427\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">property<\/a> was <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=5497\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">injured<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0If a plaintiff can prove both, s\/he is entitled to recover money damages from the defendant to compensate for the <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=5497\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">injury<\/a>.\u00a0 The defendant is liable, which means he is responsible for paying the damages.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=7036\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Liable<\/a><\/span> &#8211;\u00a0likely to incur a penalty as a result of having commit a civil wrong or breach of contract, answerable by tort.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><em>aka <span style=\"color: #800000;\">legally liable<\/span>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=7031\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Liability<\/a><\/span> &#8211; the quality; state, or condition of being legally obligated or accountable; a debt enforceable by civil remedy or criminal punishment.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #993300;\"><strong>The Same Act <em>May<\/em> be a Crime <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>and<\/em><\/span> a Tort:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Why are two different legal actions against one wrongful act possible?\u00a0 In effect, criminal law provides a way of punishing people who commit crimes. It acts to protect all citizens from such wrongdoing.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=6964\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Criminal law<\/a> is not concerned with the individual victim. The law of torts, on the other hand, provides a way to compensate victims of wrongful acts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0In reality, victims of crimes like burglary, rape, and armed robbery rarely sue the wrongdoers <em>primarily<\/em> because the wrongdoer has no money or property from which to collect.<\/strong> [1]\u00a0 <strong>However, it is important to note that there are <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=6915\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>several<\/em><\/span> non-monetary forms of relief<\/a> that can<em>\u00a0<\/em>be requested by a court.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #993300;\">When Laws Cause Torts<br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>or<\/em><\/span> Officers Commit Crimes:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Laws which which are likely to violate civil rights are a liability against taxpayers; such laws can be challenged &amp; overturned via following the <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=3901\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Federal Rules of Civil Procedure<\/a> <em>(see <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=3961\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rule 5.1<\/a>)<\/em>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0When an officer violates a civilian&#8217;s rights, it is called a <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=6993\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Constitutional tort<\/a>, which is a\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>type<\/em><\/span>\u00a0of <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=2629\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tort<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0If the officer violated procedure &amp; commit a crime, it is called a <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=2056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">color of law crime<\/a>.\u00a0 If the <\/strong><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><em>(county, city, state, federal, tribal, etc.)<\/em><\/span><strong style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong> agency did not properly train or vet the officer, the agency can be held accountable via <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=7194\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filing a claim<\/a>\u00a0(a <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=3947\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">civil complaint<\/a>)\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>and<\/em><\/span> a <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=4752\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criminal complaint<\/a> (since the act is both<em>\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=2629\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">civil<\/a>\u00a0<em>and\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=6964\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">criminal<\/a>).<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/?page_id=10714\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Civil Law Self-Help<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/?page_id=6964\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">Criminal Law Self-Help<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #993300;\"><strong>References:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Disclaimer:<\/span><\/span><\/strong> <strong><span style=\"font-size: large;\">All material throughout this website is pertinent to people everywhere, and is being utilized in accordance with <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/\/?page_id=2191\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fair Use<\/a>.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>[1]: LawHelp.org, GeorgeLegalAid.org, &#8220;The Difference between Torts and Crimes&#8221; by:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cviog.uga.edu\/\">Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia<\/a>:\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.georgialegalaid.org\/resource\/the-difference-between-torts-and-crimes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.georgialegalaid.org\/resource\/the-difference-between-torts-and-crimes<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">******************************************<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"sdfootnote1\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>This website is being broadcast for\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wildwillpower.org\/about-wild-willpower\/a-peaceable-assembly-of-civilians\">First Amendment purposes<\/a>\u00a0courtesy of<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wildwillpower.org\/about-wild-willpower\/a-peaceable-assembly-of-civilians\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-978 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.reunitethestates.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Wild-WIllpower-array-of-greens.jpg?resize=474%2C83\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.reunitethestates.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Wild-WIllpower-array-of-greens.jpg?w=996 996w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.reunitethestates.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Wild-WIllpower-array-of-greens.jpg?resize=300%2C53 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"83\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wildwillpower.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">www.WildWillpower.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Protecting citizens from harmful acts is basic to an orderly society.\u00a0 To protect citizens, governments pass laws making wrongful acts crimes.\u00a0 Criminal law generally deals with crimes, whereas civil law generally deals with torts and breaches of contract.\u00a0 Certain incidents may give rise to a civil proceeding and a criminal proceeding; to begin &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/?page_id=2629\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Civil Law and Criminal Law &#8211; what&#8217;s the difference?<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":11248,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2629","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2629"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18762,"href":"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2629\/revisions\/18762"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reunitethestates.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}