Differences between civil and criminal law
Lawyers make money irrespective of the nature and type of the cases they handle. This is the only thing that both civil and criminal cases have in common. Civil cases deal with the disagreements between two or more individuals, such as private disputes over land and property, etc. Criminal cases come before the court when bureaucrats, or the authorities entrusted with power, allege a crime.
Criminal and civil cases differ in cause, trial procedure and the punishments.
Criminal law vs civil law
As mentioned above, cases under civil law, deal with the disagreement between individuals. These can occur over personal or commercial injury. In a civil case, the plaintiff files a petition against the defendant, claiming that the latter’s actions caused him mental and/or physical harm. He could also file a civil suit seeking compensation for the harm done.
The claimant filing the suit explains before the court by “preponderance of the evidence”, how the accused is guilty of the harm done. In a civil case, the court will rule in favour of the person filing the suit if he manages to submit, and convince the court of the validity of, a majority (51%) of the evidence.
A civil case will be ruled in favour of the appellant if five of the six jurors (in a six-juror trial), or nine of the twelve jurors (in a 12 juror trial), agree with the evidence. The number of jurors present depends on the court that hears the case. If it is the district court, this number is six, and if the case comes before the Circuit court, the case would be judged by a 12-juror bench.
Criminal Law
Civil and law cases
Criminal laws are in place to prevent the citizens from committing crimes against members of society. These laws actually focus on keeping the citizen off of criminal acts like murder, theft, assault, and other acts declared illegal by the state or federal governments. Unlike civil cases, where the appellant files a case against the accused, in criminal cases it is the state or the Federal Government that brings the accused before the court. If the accused is found guilty of the charges, the court will sentence imprisonment, fine or even both. The prosecutor cross-examines the witness to prove the charges alleged.
The above are some of the pronounced differences that can be discussed under the title Criminal law vs civil law.