Criminal Law vs Tort, Reaction Paper Example

Generally, functions of criminal law and tort law are similar. The use of both criminal law and tort law is to identify offenders. Both are used to take remedial action against offenders. Criminal law and tort law are also used to prevent other people from becoming offenders and to discourage self-help.

Criminal law is concerned with how individuals relate with the government and actions threatening the society and the order of the society. Abuse of controlled substances can be given as a case in point of criminal conduct among practitioners and nurses. Criminal law’s overall purpose is to protect the society from acts, which are clearly anti-social (Hall, 2012). Even though criminal acts may have instant victims, for example, homeowners whose houses have been burnt down by a suspected arsonist, the final crime victim is the society. This is because if the arsonist is not stopped he will be a threat to everyone in the society. Therefore, criminal law focuses on deciding whether an individual is a criminal and determine how the individual will be punished if he or she is found to be a criminal.

On the other hand, tort law is a type of law, which involves civil offences against the property of another person. There are two types of torts including intentional torts, which are offenses done when one tries or means to do harm. Negligence torts are the actions leading to harm, which are neither anticipated nor intended. Torts include assault, for instance, an individual punching another on the nose, false imprisonment, negligence, defamation, battery, fraud, and invasion of privacy. It is a type of civil law just like property law, family law and contract law are. Practically, torts are just theory collections used to sue people to obtain money, and, if allowed, other remedies (Edwards, Edwards & Wells, 2012). The idea is that tort victims are entitled to be compensated for breaching certain responsibilities owed to them past contract law, property law, and family law. Tort law concentrates on what can be done by the victim concerning the financial harm suffered by them.

References

Edwards, L. L., Edwards, J. S., Wells, P. K. (2012). Tort law. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.

Hall, D. (2012). Criminal law and procedure. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.