"Discuss The Differences Between Civil and Criminal Law in the English Legal System"

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Paul Archer,

Law Induction Essay,

Wendy Nunn

“Discuss The Differences Between Civil and Criminal Law in the English Legal System”

There are many significant differences between civil and criminal law in the English Law System, the main being that criminal law is a case brought to an individual by The State and in civil cases an individual against another individual. Criminal law and civil law are two “different” types of law all together.

Criminal and civil law have two totally different purposes. The purpose of criminal law is to allow people to live a orderly and ensure people can go about their everyday lives- road traffic rules, marriage rules, divorce law, consumption of alcohol, faulty goods and employment rules are all there to ensure an efficient society. Civil law is there to provide a system for individuals to resolve their disagreements in a way, which is both efficient and ultimate. Neighbour disputes and defamation (also known as libel and slander) are two examples of civil law. Criminal law also covers areas such as welfare, benefits, housing and education.

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The two branches of law have two different terminologies and sentencing. In criminal law the case is brought to the court written as “R v Nunn”, the “R” stands for either Rex or Regina (King or Queen), this represents the State. The last part is the surname of the defendant. In a civil case the layout is the surnames of the claimant (first name) and the plaintiff (second name), an example of this is “Nunn v Knox”.  The decision is presented as either “guilty” or “not guilty” in criminal cases and “liable” or “not liable” in civil cases. The level ...

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