Difference Between Civil Law and Criminal Law
Main difference
Civil law and criminal law are attributes of law that are often confused and conflated by the public. Civil law and criminal law are totally different from each other and have their way of going after legal authorities. Criminal law is the body of law that deals with crime and illegal activities that fall under the category of crime under the law of a particular state or country. Civil law is the legal system that deals with the general scenario and is responsible for injustice and making rules against it. The basic difference between criminal and civil law is that criminal law deals with the punishment of crimes while civil law focuses more on compensation for the victim’s loss.
Comparison chart
| civil law | Criminal law | |
| Definition | Civil law generally refers to disputes and personal matters between individuals, organizations, etc. It focuses on compensating the victim rather than punishing the perpetrator. | Criminal law refers to the body of law that deals with criminal activities, violation of the law and corresponding penalties. |
| type of punishment | Generally, punishment refers to financial compensation in case of loss or even injury. | The punishment is according to the specific law of the country or state where the law is broken, but usually, the cases involve imprisonment, financial compensation, and some sworn cases include life imprisonment and also the death penalty. |
| Jury opinion | The unanimous decision of the jury is usually not a big concern, but it depends specifically on the law of the state and the country. | The unanimous decision of the jury is very important. The judgment is highly accurate based on authentic tests and evidence. |
| Judgment | The principal is declared responsible or innocent. | The defendant is found guilty or is not involved. |
| Purpose | The basic purpose is to maintain peace between the public and their relationships. | The basic purpose is to maintain the stability of the country and control illegal activities. |
| Burden of proof | The burden of proof rests squarely on the sufferer, a person who claims to have suffered from or is a victim of a particular incident. The claimant has to provide authentic evidence and evidence to get the compensation. | Under criminal law, a person is innocent until proven guilty. The prosecution must provide evidence and authentic evidence. |
| case filed by | An individual who suffers or claims to have a loss. | The government itself can take notice and file the case in violation of the law. Victims can also present the case. |
| common examples | Common examples of issues that fall into the civil law category are disputes between two organizations, divorce issue, landlord-employer dispute, tenant-landlord dispute, and other similar types of issues. | Common examples of criminal law violations include theft, robbery, kidnapping, murder, torture, etc. |
Civil law is the legal system or legal body of any specific state or country that deals with disputes between individuals, publics and between organizations. It is a non-criminal common law system that focuses more precisely on resolving disputes and problems between two parties. Civil law is also known as civil law and Roman law in many of the countries of Europe. This law initially originated in Europe. In the early ages of the Roman Empire and Greek times, a kind of civil law was established, the main purpose of which was to make peace between the people of the state and unite them. Civil law was referred to as the common law of the state at first and was later contrasted with decision law and then judicial law involving the jury and judges. Later, This civil law named as customary law spread all over the world from Europe and now it is among the basic law part of the most famous legal bodies and systems in the world like Halakha, canon law, customary law and Islamic law. In other words, we can say that civil law deals with the private relationships, disputes, and problems of public and ordinary people who live together as a community in a state or country. Civil law does not deal with religious, military, criminal and other specific issues. It is a general law that is responsible for maintaining a positive and peaceful environment among people. A primary focus of civil law is resolving disputes between individuals and organizations.
What is criminal law?
Criminal law is the legal body of any state or country that deals specifically with the health, safety, and security of its people. Criminal law is the specific body of law that focuses on dealing with criminals who commit crimes and engage in illegal activities. Criminal law is structured differently in each state and country according to their religious involvement and other social norms. Criminal activities such as stealing, kidnapping, killing, assaulting, damaging, etc. all of these are a deal under the state penal code. The case is usually brought by the government itself or by the victim. Through proper trials in court through evidence and evidence, if the person is found charged with doing something illegal and is guilty, he is punished accordingly. Common punishments include physical imprisonment and financial compensation. Sworn cases can also carry life imprisonment and the death penalty.
Civil law versus criminal law
- Civil law is the legal system that deals with disputes and issues between the general public and the organization of a particular state or country.
- Criminal law is the legal body of each state or country that deals with criminal activities, violation of the law and punishes illegal acts.
- Civil law does not include any physical punishment or imprisonment.
- Criminal includes imprisonment and physical punishment.
- Civil law focuses more on financially compensating the victim.
- Criminal law is defined differently in each state and country.
- Civil law is usually basic and common in all states and countries.
- Criminal law deals with the health and safety of the people who live in a state.
- Civil law deals with the moral welfare of public living as a community in a particular state or country.