Lesson 4 kinds of laws

LESSON 4 KINDS OF LAWS

Ex. 1. As you read the text below try to find the Uzbek (Russian) equivalents of the following words and word – combinations:

fall wrong assault public conduct set out injure charge commit a crime

criminal offense imprison recovery amend prison term loss award

felony divorce suffer civil action misdemeanor insurance accident real estate

lawsuit negligence violate consumer protection penalty

Kinds of Laws
Laws fall into two major groups: criminal and civil. Criminal laws regulate public conduct and set out duties owed to society. A criminal case is a legal action by the government against a person charged with committing a crime. Criminal laws have penalties requiring that offenders be imprisoned, fined, placed under supervision, or punished in some other way. Criminal offenses are divided into felonies and misdemeanors. The maximum penalty for a felony is a term of more than one year in prison. For misdemeanor the penalty is prison term of one year or less.
Civil laws regulate relations between individuals or groups of individuals. A civil action (lawsuit) can be brought when one person feels wronged or injured by another person. Courts may award the injured person money for his or her loss, or it may order the person who committed the wrong to make amends in some other way. An example of civil action is a lawsuit for recovery of damages suffered in an automobile accident. Civil laws regulate many everyday situations such as marriage, divorce, contracts, insurance, consumer protection, and negligence.
Sometimes one action can violate both civil and criminal law. For example, if Joe beats up Bob, he may have to pay Bob’s medical bills under civil law and may be charged with the crime of assault under criminal law. (Sushinski, 73).
Ex. 2. Form derivatives with the following words from the text above:
Model: crime – criminal – criminality
regulate imprison law act
social supervise charge commit
require accident assault punish
offend protect publuc divide
Ex. 3. Match the words in Column A with the definitions in Column B

Column A 1. criminal 2. civil 3. conduct 4. society 5. penalty 6. misdemeanor 7. felony 8. offense 9. lawsuit 10. negligence

Column B a) case in a law court; b) of people living together; c) major serious crime; d) punishment; e) social way of living; f) person who commits a crime or crimes; g) carelessness; h) offence which is less serious than a felony; i) an act or omission punishable under the criminal law; j) lead or guide.

Ex. 4. Look through the text again and explain the following notions according to the text:
1. Criminal laws 2. Civil laws 3. Criminal offenses 4. A civil action.
Ex. 5. As you read the following text note the difference between criminal and civil laws:
How do Criminal and Civil Laws differ?
When the private legal rights of an individual are violated, the matter is governed by civil law. It applies whenever one person has a right to sue another person. An example of such a situation is when a tenant fails to pay the rent. The police will not investigate civil conflicts.
When a person violates certain duties to society and disturbs public peace and order, the violation is governed by criminal law. The government, acting in the name of all the people, investigates, prosecutes, and tries to fine or imprison the alleged wrongdoer.
Generally, when a crime occurs, private rights of the individual victim are violated at the same time. Thus, the civil law may also apply. The victim of the crime may, therefore, sue the wrongdoer but seldom does because it is usually difficult to collect damages from criminals. (Arabekan, 20)
Ex. 6. Fill in the following chart using examples to describe the difference between criminal and civil laws

Criminal Law		Civil Law
Features	Examples	Features	Examples