Civil and Criminal Law, and the Justice System
Not all law is about crime. Learn the difference between criminal and civil law, the courts that handle each, and how the justice system of England and Wales works.
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Two kinds of law ⚖️
Law is not all about crime. It splits into two main branches. **Criminal law** deals with offences against society - like theft or assault - where the **state** prosecutes and can **punish**. **Civil law** settles **disputes** between people or organisations - like an unpaid debt or an injury claim - where one side **sues** the other for a remedy such as compensation. This module maps both, and the courts that handle them.
The words you need 📖
Four terms keep criminal and civil law apart.
Match each term to its meaning 🔗
- Prosecution
- Claimant
- Beyond reasonable doubt
- Balance of probabilities
- The state bringing a criminal case against a defendant
- The person or organisation who starts a civil case
- The high standard of proof needed in a criminal court
- The standard of proof used in a civil court
Criminal or civil? 🚔
Which of these is a criminal matter?
- Assault causing injury to another person
- A dispute over an unpaid debt
- A divorce settlement
- A claim for compensation after an accident
Criminal vs civil law 🆚
The two branches differ at every step: who brings the case, how sure the court must be, and what happens at the end.
Which are civil matters? ✅
Select the TWO matters that are dealt with by civil law.
- A dispute over an unpaid debt
- A personal injury compensation claim
- Theft from a shop
- Assault causing injury
The justice system 🏛️
A precise, testable fact: **England and Wales share one legal system, which is separate from Scotland and separate from Northern Ireland**. Never call it simply "the UK justice system". Within England and Wales, if you are arrested you have key **rights**: to be **told the reason** for your arrest, to **inform someone** that you have been arrested, and to **see a solicitor**.
Match each court to its work 🧑⚖️
- Magistrates' court
- Crown court
- County court
- High court
- Tries less serious criminal cases, without a jury
- Tries serious criminal cases with a judge and jury
- Hears many civil disputes, such as smaller claims
- Hears larger or more complex civil cases
A criminal case in order 📜
An interactive activity.
Match each person to their role 👮
- Police officer
- Judge
- Magistrate
- Juror
- Investigates crime, gathers evidence and makes arrests
- Applies the law and decides the sentence in the crown court
- A trained volunteer who tries less serious cases
- A member of the public who decides guilt in a crown court trial
Law in a paragraph 📝
Criminal law protects the public, and the _____ must prove guilt _____ reasonable doubt. Civil law settles _____ between people, decided on the _____ of probabilities. England and _____ share one legal system, separate from Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Which law applies? 🧭
An interactive activity.
Your turn: explain 🖊️
An interactive activity.
The grade-9 habit 🌟
Two precise points lift a Law and Justice answer. First, **keep criminal and civil crisply apart**: who brings the case (the state vs a claimant), the standard of proof (beyond reasonable doubt vs the balance of probabilities), the court, and the outcome (punishment vs a remedy). Second, be exact about the **system**: England and Wales share one legal system, **separate from Scotland and from Northern Ireland** - stating this precisely, rather than saying "the UK", is the kind of accurate detail that earns the top marks.