The Four Types of Criminal Laws

Society is built upon carefully crafted laws. The founding fathers first started creating laws centuries ago, and since then the United States government has been expanding upon them. These laws keep up safe, civil, honest, and free from tyranny. As citizens, our government expects us to adhere to these decrees, not only for our own good, but for the good of the population as a whole. There are several types of criminal laws in place, all of which guide the American people to be safe and responsible citizens.

The first set of criminal laws, and perhaps the most fundamental, applies to the safety of people. These rules govern what we as a person cannot do to one another. Examples include: armed or unarmed assault, criminal harassment, lascivious exploitation, rape, and murder. All of these laws involve a direct threat to our fellow people and the consequences for breaking them are often severe. These are taken very seriously and there are a number of arrests each year for violating laws like this. When arrtested, the alleged criminal can face a number of charges, can be put on probation and can even be sent to jail. This is a whole other issue that will addressed in a future article.

The second form of laws involves transportation, and is known as traffic laws. Most people become aware of these laws when they first start learning to drive, as following them is crucial to avoid being pulled over and fined or possibly arrested. Some common examples of traffic laws involve: speeding, drunk driving, not wearing a seatbelt, operating an unregistered car or truck, and leaving the scene of an accident. In some cases, a court may even suspend a driver’s license if they violate these laws too many times.

The third kind of criminal laws regard property. When a person intentionally damages or destroys another person’s property, they may find themselves facing legal action. Property laws restrict people from littering, committing arson, stealing, vandalizing, trespassing, and any other similar crimes. Many times, when the law catches someone violating these rulings, that person will have to pay the property owner for the damages they inflicted. Additionally, the criminal may have to pay the court a fine or spend time in jail.

The fourth and final category of laws are ones that keep the community safe. Feeling safe in one’s own home town or city is a cornerstone of a peaceful society. Community laws attempt to stop people from buying, selling, or using drugs, protesting without a permit or with aggression, concealing a weapon in public without permission, going on riots, and knowingly spreading false information about other people publicly. Should someone violate any of these laws, the legal system may sentence them to jail or prison, depending on the severity.

There are many laws in place to keep us and our neighbor’s safe. The government has worked carefully over the centuries to ensure these laws are fair and effective at stopping crime. Because not everyone accused of breaking these laws is truly guilty, the court has the final decision in each case. This is where things get a little messy. There are plenty of instances over time where innocent people have been proven guilty and guilty people have been let off because they are perceived to be innocent. This will forever be a battle in our legal system as we spend all of this money on lawyers, court caues and juries, but the judge still has the ultimate say. Hopefully, going forward, we as a society will be able to revert back to how our founding fathers handled everything and go back to a much simpler time where we did not have to deal with so much crud regarding laws, lawyers and court cases.