criminal statutes
Penal code provisions
Criminal statutes are laws that define crimes and establish punishments for them.
They specify what conduct is prohibited—murder, theft, fraud—and what penalties apply.
Unlike civil law, which resolves disputes between parties, criminal statutes empower the state to prosecute and punish offenders: The prosecutor cited several criminal statutes in the indictment.
Also called criminal laws or penal statutes.
- penal lawStatutes governing crime punishment
- arrest warrantJudicial order authorizing detention
- grand juryInvestigative charging body
- mens reaBlameworthy mental state
- felonySerious criminal offense
federal law · imprisonment · misdemeanor · indictment · fines · due process · civil liberties · cybercrime · three strikes · state law · proportionality · sentencing guidelines · tribal law · presumption of innocence · habeas corpus · international treaties · plea bargain · double jeopardy
- criminal justicearrest, jail, court, prison, guilty
- lawslaws, ordinance, acts, code, federal laws
- criminal lawfelony, misdemeanor, murder, robbery, theft
- alcohol lawsdrunk driving, DUI, BAC, legal limit, drinking age
- ancient lawsCode of Hammurabi, Hammurabi, Roman law, Twelve Tables, Ten Commandments
- Federal Lawsfederal laws, congressional acts, acts, Civil Rights Act, Clean Air Act
criminal statutescivil law
Law governing private disputes
civil code · tort law · contract law · commercial law · family law
criminal statutescommon law
Jurisprudence from judicial decisions
unwritten law · case law · judicial precedent · natural law · legal precedent
criminal, criminals, criminally, criminality, crime, crimes, incriminate, incriminating, incrimination