Criminal is a person or thing that commits crime. It is also used to describe anything involved in committing or related to criminal activities. Criminal law is a system of laws that states what society considers to be a crime and the punishment that is imposed on those who violate those laws. It is a form of official government activity that contrasts with civil law, where the focus is more on dispute resolution and victim compensation.
A criminal case begins with an arrest warrant or criminal charge. The prosecuting attorney must prove that a defendant committed a crime beyond a reasonable doubt in order to be convicted. The criminal prosecution will present its evidence to a jury, which may consist of 6-12 people. The jury’s verdict must be unanimous.
The discipline of Criminology studies the reasons why people commit crimes, what is the best way to prevent crime and how people respond to criminal acts and delinquent behavior. It is a multi-disciplinary field that draws on sociology, psychology, political science, history, public administration and law.
Research in the field of criminal justice and criminology can be very interesting as it seeks to solve mysteries such as why some children from certain social backgrounds seem more predisposed to committing crimes. To write a quality research paper in this subject area, it is important to use hard evidence from primary and secondary sources such as books, journal articles and news reports among others.
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