Social Science

Chpter 19: Laws and Our Society

Society has a set of rules, enforced by the government, called lawsOnly rules that everyone has to

followOne of the basic principles of laws

is to bring order into society by telling people what they may or may not do, setting standards, telling people how to do something, and spelling out how to properly resolve serious conflicts

Laws also protect people’s lives, the quality of life, and property, including physical property or ideas and inventions

Law and Order

The Constitution instructs laws to also protect people’s individual freedoms and to protect societyThe Constitution protects individual freedoms by limiting

the power of the government and instructs the government to protect the general welfare of the people

Laws reflect many of our basic values and morals, or beliefs about what is fair and what is right or wrong

However, in some cases, the law goes against our personal beliefs, and some people break the law to maintain their personal belief systemBreaking the law in a nonviolent way because it goes

against personal morals is called civil disobedienceMost who break the law through civil disobedience

accept their punishment because they know that they broke the law and law must be maintained

Laws and Morals

Some laws come from legislation to meet the demands of the publicLaws written and made by legislatures are called

statutesLaws passed by Congress are called federal laws and

statues, and reflect the morals and values of the country, so everyone has to obey them

Laws passed by the state or county are called statues or ordinances and only apply within the state or county

Some laws are made by judges in the form of their decisionsLaws based on a judge’s decisions are called common

lawsDecisions made are based on both the judges’ beliefs and

the way society is organized at the time

Origins of Laws

In order to keep track of them, many laws are organized into legal codes, or a written collection of laws, often organized by subject

Many other laws are organized within the Constitution of the United States or state constitutions

Citizens still have the final say on all laws, and can contribute to change by electing officials who support their ideas and based on the changing of society

Organization of Laws

A crime is any behavior that is illegal because the government considers it harmful to society

Criminal law refers to the group of laws that tell which acts are crimes, how accused persons should be tried in court, and how crimes should be punished Main purpose is to protect society

Criminal law sets fair and reasonable punishments to those who committed the crimes Depends on the crime, and most have minimum and

maximum penaltiesCrimes are divided into two categories:

Felony-a serious crime for which the penalty can be imprisonment for more than one year

Misdemeanor-less serious crime for which the penalty is often a fine

Criminal law is made through federal, state, and local governments

Criminal Law

Civil law is the group of laws that help settle disagreements between people who cannot or will not settle them privately

To bring a civil matter into court, you must first ask the government for help by suing, or bringing the matter into court

Judges and juries make decisions in civil courts based on previous decisions made from similar cases or on statutes made by previous judges

Civil Law

Both criminal and civil laws bring society together to protect itself and to protect citizens’ rights

Sometimes, both criminal and civil cases can occur from the same situationIf someone has committed

a crime that has resulted in injury, either physical, mental, emotional, or financial

Where Criminal and Civil Meet