Criminal
Law
The purpose of criminal law is essentially to maintain an orderly society governed by rules which set out the standard of behaviour expected of its citizens. How this is achieved can be summarised by reference to a number of key principles; notification of unacceptable behaviour, protection of society; the right to a fair trail, innocent until proven guilty, punishment of those who do commit such offences and deterrence of harmful conduct.
Criminal
Law
The purpose of criminal law is essentially to maintain an orderly society governed
by rules which set out the standard of behaviour expected of its citizens.
A useful illustration of the purpose of criminal law was provided by the American Law Institute when they attempted to define the objectives of the criminal law in Article 1 of their Draft Model Penal Code:
(a) To forbid and prevent conduct that unjustifiably and inexcusably inflicts or threatens substantial harm to individual or public interests;
(b) To subject to public control persons whose conduct indicates that they are disposed to commit crimes;
(c) To safeguard conduct that is without fault from condemnation as criminal;
(d) To give fair warning of the nature of the conduct declared to be an offense;
(e) To differentiate on reasonable grounds between serious and minor offenses.
On this course you will concentrate on identifying such behaviour which will offend our criminal law and the rules which govern such offences.