CCJS 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Mens Rea, Fair Trial, Excessive Bail Clause

• School: University of Maryland
• Department: Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Course: CCJS 100
• Professor: Justine Madoo

Document Summary

Legal responsibility: the accountability of an individual for a crime because of the perpetrator"s characteristics and the circumstances of the illegal act. Criminal law is only one category of law. Civil law: law regulating the relationships between or among individuals, usually involving property, contracts, or business disputes. Key feature of criminal law is the government"s power to punish for the damage to society. Law that defines acts that are subject to punishment and specifies the punishments for such offenses. Law defining the procedures that criminal justice officials must follow in enforcement, adjudication, and corrections. Protects constitutional rights of defendants provides the rules officials must follow. Many aspects defined by legislators, but supreme court and state supreme courts also play a role. Based on fact that people must know in advance what is required of them. No act may be regarded as illegal until it has been defined as punishable under criminal law.