A criminal is someone who breaks the law. This can include murderers, rapists, thieves, fraudsters and tax evaders, but also people who just fail to pay their parking tickets or ignore drug-test results. There are lots of stories for crime reporters to cover, even if the accused person is not yet convicted. The simplest background stories are features (or current affairs programmes) about why crime has gone up or down: for example, why burglaries happen in summer; how psychologists think people become criminals; and new courses on self-defence.
The main reason for a court to punish someone is to deter others from committing the same offence. However, the punishment must be proportionate to the severity of the offence and take mitigating factors into account.
Prosecutors must prove a defendant’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The defence can raise any number of arguments to create doubts about the prosecution’s case: for example, self-defence, mental illness, poverty or a sense of aimlessness.
Most criminal cases are resolved before trial by way of a guilty plea. After police have gathered evidence, they submit it to the prosecutor who decides whether to charge the defendant with an offence. If the prosecutor decides to proceed, the accused is arraigned before a judge. The judge reads the charges, and the defendant enters a plea.
A criminal law is a body of written laws, enacted by federal, state or local legislative bodies, that define specific criminal offenses and the penalties associated with them. The laws are usually based on common law or statutes.
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