The Different Parts of Our Legal System

The Different Parts Of Our Legal System
Sabra D. Pope
CRJ 201: Introduction to Criminal Justice
Professor Celeste Johnston
November 07, 2011

      The reasons for criminal laws are to protect innocent people and to serve the public good.   There are two key purposes for criminal laws. The first reason is to communicate public morality which is when a society chooses the laws which decides right or wrong for a community.   The second reason for criminal laws is to teach societal limits.   Teaching these limits is when a criminal is punished to be taught a lesson but also shows the community what to expect if anyone does commit a crime against that community’s laws.
      There are many parts to the legal system and its laws are intended to standardize the way that people act within our society but comprehending the reason for diverseness of the law can often be bewildering.   Within the vast array of laws are criminal laws which define criminal offenses.   Kinscherff (2010) states in his article “A criminal offense requires two elements. First it requires proof of misconduct that is specifically prohibited by law.   Second, it requires proof of sufficient intention or recklessness to warrant assignment of moral culpability for the act.” When dealing with criminal laws some of the reasoning behind these statues is to maintain public order, deter criminal behavior, and punish offenders.   Depending on the type of offense committed criminal law will mostly direct what type of sentence the person responsible for the offense will receive.   If society did not have laws then criminals would face no consequences for their actions and society would fall into chaos.
      Most of us take for granted the protection of public order and do not fully understand just what public order means.   Public order is necessary and is a requirement considered to keep criminal and political violence at a minimum.   The laws that protect public order are meant to not only keep violence from one...