Law, police and courts

In short

Criminal law is about offences and punishment. Civil law is about disputes between people or groups.

Test atoms

Learn these as compact test facts. Then practise recognising the same fact in different wording.

Atom	Watch out for
Criminal law deals with offences, crimes and punishment	Do not confuse this with civil disputes.
Civil law deals with disputes between people or organisations	Civil = disputes. Criminal = crimes.
A jury listens to evidence and decides facts in some court cases	A jury is a court group, not a political group.
Magistrates’ Courts usually deal with minor criminal cases in England and Wales	Keep minor and serious criminal courts separate.
Judges interpret the law and must be independent	Independent means not controlled by government.
Police protect life and property, keep the peace and detect crime	Police and Crime Commissioners are different from police officers.

What not to over-learn first

Do not start with court detail. First learn criminal law vs civil law.
Do not mix legal roles with political roles. A jury is not Parliament or the Cabinet.

Spot the correct statement

The real test often asks you to recognise a correct sentence, not write an answer from memory. You should be able to spot statements like these:

Criminal law deals with crimes and punishment.
Civil law deals with disputes between people or organisations.
A jury listens to evidence in some court cases.

Main role map

Topic	What to remember
Criminal law	Crimes investigated by police or authorities
Civil law	Disputes between people or groups
Police	Protect life and property, keep peace and detect crime
Judges	Interpret the law and must be independent
Jury	Members of the public selected at random

What to remember

Everyone in the UK receives equal treatment under the law.
Examples of criminal law topics include weapons, drugs, racial crime, tobacco age limits, smoking restrictions and alcohol age rules.

Police and legal rights

Police duties are to protect life and property, keep the peace and prevent and detect crime.
Police forces are independent of government and are led by Chief Constables.
Police and Crime Commissioners were first elected in England and Wales in November 2012.
PCSOs support police officers in community roles.
People arrested at a police station must be told the reason and can seek legal advice.
Terrorism and extremism are treated as threats to safety and British values.

Courts and juries

Judges interpret the law and must be independent of government.
Minor criminal cases are heard in Magistrates’ Courts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Justice of the Peace Courts in Scotland.
Serious criminal cases are heard in Crown Courts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Sheriff or High Courts in Scotland.
A jury is made up of members of the public selected at random.
Civil courts handle disputes such as contracts, property, employment and compensation.

Do not mix these up

Criminal law is about offences and punishment.
Civil law is about disputes.
Police protect life and property, keep the peace and detect crime.
Police and Crime Commissioners are elected in England and Wales.
Judges must be independent of government.
Extremism means opposition to fundamental British values.

Key words

criminal law, civil law, Chief Constable, Police and Crime Commissioner, PCSO, terrorism, extremism, judiciary, Magistrates’ Court, Justice of the Peace Court, Crown Court, Sheriff Court, High Court, jury.

Rights connected to law continue in Rights, tax and driving. Practise this topic in government and law practice.

Quick check

Try from memory before opening the answer.

Is criminal law about punishment or private disputes?

Criminal law is about offences and punishment. Civil law is about private disputes.

What are police duties?

Police protect life and property, prevent disturbances and prevent and detect crime.

Why must judges be independent?

So decisions are fair and not controlled by the government or other people.