USBORNE FOR BEGINNERS The court
- • USBO RNE LAW FOR BEGINNERS Written by Rose Hall and Illustrated by lara Bryan 'nguII Busbs and Anna WralJ Law IIp.rtl: Natuha ;Jac:kson and Will nartln D,siln,d by Fra"a Harrison . ' .. .. - ... - ..... ~
Contents Whit is Ilw? Why do we need laws? How does the I.w work? Right and wrong It isn't black and while Chapter 1: Criminal law An unlucky accident,or II serious crime? Follow I story to see what happens, and who gets involved, from II person's arresl to lrialand beyond. Chapter 2: Civil law Most I ..... isn't .bout crime and punishment - it's about settling argumentl, and making sure people behave fairly to each other. This is 'civil' Ilw, Chapter 3: How is law made? laws used to be mad. by lelders with limitless powers. Today. mosllaws lI,e mad. bl elected politicians, who han to follow .11 sorts 0 rules. Chapter 4: low across borclers Are ther.llws thlt the who/. world hIS to obey? How If. those mid. - and how are they enforced? 4 6 8 I. 12 15 31 43 61
Chapter 5: Human rights Some of the most important I .... "', or rights, Ire melnt to ensure that ,II ~ople can live ufe, hnllhy lins with flIual opportunities. But dOl, this IC\\lllIy happen? Chapter 6: Justice Justice means f.irnen. It's whit la .... is all ,bout, isn't it? But 1,.IIW5 themse/<ns fair? And what about the system thlt enforces the Ill'll - is thlt f.ir? Chapter 7: Big questions Often in law, there .re ,,!,,"dian. that don't hi ... simple answe". Reid some of the the arguments and see if you cln mike up your own mind. Chapter 8: What next? Whit .bout YOU? Could you b. I Ilwyer, or I lawmaker, or ,Ia .... enforcer? GIOSiUY Discover more Acknowledgments Usborne Qlllcklinks For links to website, ... her. you can find out more Ibout 11'1'1' of.1I kinds and Icross.1I countries, go to uiborne.c:om/Quic:klinki lind type in the title of this book. PI .. " follow the internet Slfety guidelines It Usborne Quic:klinki. Children ihould be iupervised online. T1 89 103 115 125 126 133
4 What Is lawP Law - or the law - is a set of rules about how a large ~roup of people should behave, often covering) whole country. laws are a little like the ru les in a family or school, but more serious arld official. TN. i. on. oft!.. Lol fo mify', flit." W. don"\ ll at .ack elh. r. We d.n1 ,un Yelling or running in the school halls might break a rule, but they don't break the law. Here are some things that are against tke law in most places: "" ...... --... t H'I _ ., .. - - . f'",, ;:~ .. -_ ~ ... ~;; ~ .. --- -- In some situations, the most powerful person in a group simply makes up the rules. But usually, rules are ag reed upon through a careful process. The lok fomify agr.,,, th.ir ruI".t • fo mily m ... ting. " rd Ii •• tI .... t. b. a n ... rul. th.t ... don't plav loud mutic aft .. 9pm. \/~n? ThaI': not lai', You can iust us. ~.u, h.a.ph.nu aft" 9p .... sw" ttt. Coed i& .. 1 U", " ",ullC hal botn oI'Ppinll "'. f •• ", $lffpi " lI.
The procen for deciding II llw il more officill. uWllIre cr .. ted by people who hold po,ition, of power in the country, typicilly politicillnl. r", . t'I. mb . ,.f Parli.m.nt! I .. ant a n . .. la .. to ~ Uut aU n . .. carl must b •• l.ctroe. To try to get people to follow rulelllnd Ilws, Inyone who brelks OM il mllde to fllCe the con..,uencH. Thil il how it _rkillt O .. pdllie School. Juanl This 's our la,t ... ,ning! Toeh., If ou ,un ,n II., halll a~a,n. LATER ~H DAY_ Runn,ni again. Ju an l (I.bnti.n t.night 1o, .ul ~.u . in d,t. nli. n. Tho eon .. qu.nc •• of b ... k.", IhoIa .... .. .. orulhan dotonl"n. Poopl .... ,"'.n pun •• hmonh. called .onl.ne.., .ueh n: F ..... - ... m.of rno<Ie)' you pay 10 Iho ' ...... nmonl T'molochd up i~ p,i.Ofl Community .. me •• .. hieh mon .... ,kin' fodrH 10 help lhe community t. "" IS """ d, ama clalS. Offic ial., .ueh .. lho police 0' jud, .. , h .... lh. po_' 10 h.nd oul pun;,hmonll .. hon .omoo ... b ... k. • I .... Police officer a lin •. '"
R.~ Why do W8 need lawsP Laws help big groups of people to live alongside each other safely arld peacefully, without falling out or bothering each other too much. Here's how ... LaWI ke.p ullaf. Laws about violence, danlerous dogs arld i are al designed to I YOII can't do t haI' That's aSiaull' I t';pped .... Ihal e,.:lod I\ont. Th. <.""ttlsh.uld ha •• r'pai,," it In tricky situations, the law can tell people how to sort out a disagreement, so they don't "nd up getting into a r..tf.ght. Tn at', m~ blke1lt 10 •• ,\ol.n '!tllt,day. No it', ""l it', ""M II bOUjhl it h om 10m ..... Ihis rn •• nlna. You"1I ~.t a fin. if ou !~!~lg don't und k o .. , p cont.o~ OU" 0'~ ~if, In this case, if Rafi can prove that he owns the bike, then the law says that Mairi has to give it back.
Laws~"_ "' ....... ..ratr In most pI.cn. the 1_ ..,. tN.I ~ .. t.... to r'!'""t in public f---' 0 0 '---; 000000 if you want. ThIS "udam is_ 000000 of your rithu. 1OmetN"I you IIrw ..mtW to, by l.w. s.. rnorw.1tout richh in CMpter 5. Idon·I.~ .... but tach t. But P"P'- arant, me to uy anythi"l tMy wlInt.ln mIIny pl--. it', -riMt the t.w to uy ttai"l' wNch could encour-r ICIrrIeOM to hurt another J-W"- 1= f=::~ \i' · ~:j~~ t:~~~ Lawa ..... N ,..1,1. k .... tII.lr ,NIBil" I~, n<~U'"e n~ "o(.noo! Contrlctillr. forma11c,n mlnb, ulIIlIlly in the form of written documents. in which peopl. promiH to do amin thincL Contracts lay out very clurly of lomeone, .nd whllt will h.ppen if th.y ,0,.1'. t his?ll booked an acrDbiJt I., l.daV', l .. ti •• 1. nol • I.ol,n . banana l Ull! W. "i .. ed ,I in the <.nhad. I wanl ... Iundl 1
How does the law workP law is all about solving problems - anything from a small,rgument to I murder - in the fairest way possible. Some of the ways people have found of making the process work date back thousands of yea rs. R.tf..er thon MttIo .'CU-them ................ <an toke . ........... to ..... rt. A court ;,. • C"'"'P of ............... «I .... tort'- 10 decido how 10 oppty tt.. 1_. It', .Iso tIw ... m. for tIw pIKe lhey _. Tho .Id.1I k ....... coum. were in """ien!. Eapt, .. .....d OO ,. ... "",. I d,dn1 do it' WrltllC la .. It'. hore., for ......... I • ....u wp rvI .. for tt..ir ...... bonerrt when 10 ...... ...mt... do ..... Tho "Id.1I ...mt... IoWl to" --..ond ............ .,0 00 y .... aid, fr ..... ....,ient Mnapotomio,..- I, ..... g on, .. h~ don"\ ou 1,llh. cou,t hlttn to all U .. "'d,nco? Then Ih ~ ca n d,ci d, ", ho'$ ll uil1 ~ according to t he law. It an ... tridJ Ie r.a-'-..... _ 1hoI' ......... 1owpn ...... in _ ,..,.. ...... tninM H .......... "",,10'" ....... ito ceurt. The fi..t Iowpn -n...I ito...a...t R_ ...... 2,OOO,.... ... H" $ ,a~inll if ou "' " . lo,ced inlo doing it ,t'. not ~o u, laull.
Finding proof A <"",I .on 'I JUIi decid. that oollloono i. C"illy. II n •• d. to lee evidonce tlo.ot prove. it - and it', up toth. _u .... to p,ovid. it. Thi. Hleo i. no .. n •• 'in""".nl unlil pro .. n C.illy' and d.t •• book 10 oMi.n! Roman 10'" ... tlce Tho ....-..... ioincftarco ef • .-.... ...... ...... aoo;,.4oeItwitk _ c ." Ie the a- it aIooI. juo/r. T .... IMir jell ,..,...n,..juoIrs ... ~ let -r - ,..-fuI ,..,.. infMnco thoir MOM_. In Brito;", ""I~ tho 11th unl..-" IUnco ....t,...... ...... 10 to. ..... te fiN ju<Icn tMy .... ', ov- witt.. The paint of JIll thue procHIft - gaing to court, writing 111 .... 1, finding proof - is to carry out judic •• This im ... ,ha ..... lady Judice. Sh.', .. symbol th.t's bun und for c:enturin to upl.;n whllt jUltic ...... "". HeA', what shell.nels for: • II blindfold ,ha ... thllt .uryon •• hauld be - tr •• ted the ume by th.I_, whether th.,-'r. rich or poor, powllrful or wuk. • Ic.i ... how that th • ..,idenc. on both lid .. of the .rgument nnOl to be ..... illted up f.rly. o II I_rei .hows tn.t the II .... un punish .nd protm. •
Right and wrong Manyr,0ple think the law is lased on I deep sense of what's right an wrong - or in other words mor.land immoral. But it's often not that straightforward. For enmple, all of these situations are, or used to be, illegal. But do you think they're all immoral? Pa. kine in the >or",,!: piKe Most people agree that celta;n thinis such liS stuling and murder are immofill and should be i egal. But lots of illegal things aren't necessarily immoral. There are.1I sorts of other reasons why sOM"'thing might I,," againd Ih., law. s-thi"C" ON ilecol just ........ _ .... thoI'OWERte.., ...,_. In 16th_lury E..pn.i, q.- E1iuMth I n....I ..... wyinc that ....,..,.... ..... _.....,... NO MORE PURPLE FOR YOU!
Some thing' "" illeg,l be<, U« tf>ey',e IMPRACTICAL Fo,,,,,mple, pa,kjng in tf>e wrong pi,,,,, i, u,ul lly not immoral. It', ju,t. nui"nc •. Some I, w, "" b, .. d on CUSTOMSthing' peopl. hov. b.,.n doing fo,. long tim • . In C hri,ti, n t,.clition, Su nday i, . doyof ,e, t. Unti l ",c.ntly, it ,,., illegal fo, , hop' to trod. on Sunday in lot< of countrie,. In J.w"h t,ad,tion, YOI.! may disa~ree with some of the5e example~. Laws aren't I.!niversal - what's illegal In one cOl.!ntr( might be seen as perfect ly fine in another. When a wrong become. a right People's idea of what is right and wrong changes over time, so laws do too. fifloJ ~ .... a~, ,\ was ,1l. 1 fo, m. to wo" without m~ h/Jlband', pe,,,inion. In 20 19 in Taiw. n, I now I.w mode it po"ible fo, two men 0' 1 ... 0 wom"n 10 get married. It can take time to convince people in power to change laws or get new one~ made. Find Ol.!t more about how this happens in chapter 3. 11
·o,mo".,tly . ppfOp" .... prope<ty" "",an. t okt,,!!.om.thing ";tho ut til< own .. .. yi,,!! ,t" OK. But if you c on P''''''' thot you, lri.-nd I ''''' Y"'"' pofm lUlOn to tok. i t, t""" tho '.""tt~.
"Th. intonlion of permanently dep';";",· ...... n. hoY;n, no plan. This part of the la ........ as important in iI elISe in the 19605, when I min t ook a painting from the National Gal1ery in l ondon. / 1o Ci .. I'" I or_nlhi"C boCk,. ~ _______ • Tho rnon Iri..! I ..... It.. poinlint _ . '-rini", I<>GII<> pon..Mo the ",I....,. 10 donol ..... ...., 10 d.rity. It didn't work. E .. nt ..... y, he , .... the pain1inc bK • • nd _....t wp 10 ..... I ... 'ddone. ~." u go. When his case went to trial, he was found not guilty of theft of the painting because he had no intention of keeping it. But he did have to go to prison for three months for stealing the frame , as he hadn't given thlt back. People decide There is always II bit of wiule room in the interpretation of II law, however preciu its wordins, That', becaun in the real world, 111'<' Ire applied by human beings, who consi er II person's situalion when deciding how strict to be. For example, ..... hat do you think should happen if someone stole food because they ..... ere desperately hungry? In H_Y ... in 2019, "-' ..... aIM ........ """err _ moIo r-.I frern • ....,. In It./y in 2016, ............ ...... t ............... """'"C" frern • ....,. A _ ....... th.t ... ...w..'t ... cuiItJ' 01 thoft .............. otarftnc. 11
_lie _.j ...... • NPwlpp Dutil. ,.1100 orroot 1._,..,.., Wllat ..." ... ., _ • j ....... j." ... _., WIIat' •• '\ NlI_", ) w..,~ • ........ ,. ..... .... 1 .... IIQWQII
1. Criminal law Many important III'<s are designed to protect people, or businesses, from harm. When someone breaks one of these laws, it is called a crime. Starting from the moment a crime is suspected, all sorts of different people help get to the bottom of what h':rpened. This includes police officers, lawyers, a judge, In a jury. Together, their job is to make sure that anyone guilty of it crime is punished. In this chilpter, you can follow the story of an imaginary crime. The story is set in Newcastle, England. In another country, the details of how the law works might be slightly different. 1&
18 Something fishy Police officers are usually the first officials to get involved after II crime has been committed. That may be because someone reports the crime to the police. Or the police might spot something suspicious themselves. This .. T .rK.. H. ', fwlint <'-rful boc..... he'. ,ocontly ...... "'I of ........,. in. lottery. < .... h inloolrH. Digging for clues The police think that someone had tampered with T .rak's car, so they start lin investigation - /I surch for more information. They gather evidence, which might prove that II crime ... as committed. They look f ... fi",e.,rinh on T .... k·. domoced cor. They ... tch foot"" from 10001 ,., .. ill.,,<o <om.r ••. •
Under arrest The police suspect that Elaine tried to kill T arak in order to get his lottery winnings, so they ar~st her for the crime of attempted murder. They tille her to • police station and Isk her 9utstions in I rf'Corded interview. PO/ieo i~ t. ,...;. .. Io'hal do ou know ab,u! T ••• f, aced.n!. [I.in. 1 To make sure that Elaine is treated fairly by the police, there are ruin about how the police must behave. They must: Another limit is how long the police can hold someone in a police station without charging them (see the nert page). Depending on the country and the crime, this is usually 24 or 48 hours, but can sometimes be even longer. 17
Making It .fflclal If 10 police officer believH there is proof that someone committltd I crime, the nut step is to i1cc:uw them of it formally, which is known IS chu£ing. For the crime of Ittempted murder, the police must first persulde I government Ilwy.r cilled I prosecutor that there is enough evidence. £1., ... " uilInl In'" to k'lI hot bovi".nd boj ta",,.ri.., ",th hi. en I w. nl 111 eha.I" ho. ",th attl lllptt<l ...... d ... loI"ol .. id , nce d. VOU ha •• l w. /0II01d hot " ......... nb on tho IIhu' thal ... IM ofl tho .a •. Iht I' I .M tOU<fI.td tho whHl to chock the ." pr ....... the otho. do.". 1Ih. T""1'1 ,t ~.w dotS ,h. uplai n lhOll Could b. a .... onabl. "CUIf. Whal . 1 •• do vo. ha .. on h .. 1 S."v, that'. not enouih. W. can "niV cha'i' h .. ,/ th ... i. a , •• Iill,e cha ne • • f • c.u.\ hndoni hor i",ltV. Othe.wi.e it could just .... to . , ,,vone. (, "' •. lui fftIj ,.,1 uyI 1M dId ,t! '1'.., btt I ",III Poljc. offiter Call back w~"n ~ou· •• fou nd mo" .. (d.nco. Prosecutors work on behalf of the government. In England and Wllfl, most work for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), while Scotland Ind Northern Ireland hive separate systems. In the USA, prosecutors Ife known as District Attornef5.
Wbat nextP The police offi cer finds more evidence against Elaine, so sheis charged. Someone charged with II crime may go to court several times, so that important questions about the cue can be answered. In court, the person is called the defendant, or the accused. Doe •• j"~.t~ink t~. d.fond.nt ",ill br •• k tho rule>, for • .,mpl. by not .ho .. i~ up for eourt? ... IliIIll " ., The dehnd.nl i. p:ll. on ........ nd, .. hi<h ..... n. bo;"C put ump ..... ily in pm .... + liI .".'".-- docl .... lhollh.,. No.....d for. triol. .... il ..... ",ilty or »01 ",ilty. Thi. ,,"ppon. .1 ..... .;on <.IIM • pIoo~, in '"",I ofoJucIr· - I"'ely "" ","" ilty Wh pun"hmonl It .hould be' tho --- ...a..t ... ,,:,. _ A ju4p --. tt.io ... -_.ocioOC ~ n....-....aio ............ r.......,a..,. -"':--prioen. + clef_doni .". ;'~n boil, ~ .... ich me.n. ".ntI for tt.. ti .... bei",. Tho clef_doni m.y hoY. to poy ....... money, or wH. on oIect""";< ~ ... polio. offic ... un Ir'" tN;. Iocati ... . lM« mlllt be • M.It • ..... out if lho def.ndonl is ""Ity. A l,i.1 ; ....... " fonnoI procn., .1 .,hieh '-7-n on both .idn p<eHnl .. idenu. For ........... cn ...... ,.C""'P of ra""""'ly wI.clod .....ru..... of lho pWlic, ,"IIocI • jury, m.k •• lhe finol decision, Of .....diel. Not CUill)" .. ...tiel, Of «<Iuillol. n.. PO""" ... 1 .. free, .,ilh lheir n.m.c ... ....t. 19
20 aettlng ready for the trial Elaine pleads not guilty to attempted murde r, so her case will go to it trial. In theory, Elaine could defendhers elfin court. But law is complicated, so hardly anyone ever does that. Elaine is better off if II defence lawyer acts on her behalf. Here Irc all the djfferent Pfllple who get involved ... Thioi&Iho,..=c ....... t.wp., ad .............. 1ho r .. h . ,. h L AI. the 1rioI,'" will -ro IhoIlioine i& cuiItY. n... •• r. Elai ... '. cIef ....... ~ .. , .. ho .. ~I rctNt Elai ... i. 1>01 ",illy. In Enc1and,. Iowyotr.me. _ .• nd • I."'Y'" .,ho . unok up in court is •• 11ed • bo"iol .... "'.,..," • caw I,of .... trial is •• IIM 0 ...Jicit ...... . In n~ c.unt,; ... th • • am. l . .. ~ .. d ... both jobs. Ahead of the trial, both sides gather evidence. They also find people who have information that is relevant to the case. They are called witnesses. Thnc people ",II be .. it ........ for the pro«<ution. Thio ir.tho ...... DurWtc tho ..... tho oW- ... po .... n WI ....,..a. t.,.-tho __ .. ie .... , .... n.. ... oItho juiIp ir. Ie ....... __ ..... .-.,..,..., tho ....... ioit Ii ... ""-in. op-b ....... EI.in. will 1M • wil,,", for 'M def.n<e. TIw penon o«",otI oft.n oct> ••• wit ...... , b.d 1>01 . ... . . ";... __ ....... I want to show the ~ what. good p",on I am. One U,ini I do is to decide In some parts of Europe and South America, a special judge called an investigating judge finds evidence and 9uestions .... itnesses ahud of the trial.
Knowledge Is power In order to defend her, Elaine'. lawyers need to understand how the pros~ution lawyer will make the case that she is guilty. So the prosecution must share all their evidence with the defence. Evldenoa agallllt Elalna I .. < .... d I "" p ••• oculion !iI •• [ I • • nf. A .... _. mo. ........ ,.... 1ft ~""'d. ··~poriftl U)".., .. J..o..I "~ .. -j .... f.n off. "" .. ,u.n' .t.o~ho", 'h.ok .. ";", Eloi ... ,-....:10<1 ...... Don'\ W"'~ I.r, go th ,ou gh it to~.th" _nd ",ak. a pi a", In ....... hi .. ..,. "...".EI.;""'. I.ptop, .ho..inc oM I>od ... rc...., w· ..... dtycar >«ido ... " . Bonk ... te"'""· """"in, the "o".f .. of To.ok', Iottory wi"";"" into Eloi"...,d 1M. k'.join' _ ....... t. • ..... ~"C.t ........... ""~ In ........ for t!w .riolt. bo f.ir, . ho W, h ••• a to ni ni'jl ht ah.ad. s.. .... ill."". u ....... f_.,. .110 ... 0 ..... I'f'Opr. - Os ... 11 .. floi ... _ ....... .., .... <Or porl.'M "'ch' fmoo.. ...........
H Did she do ItP Now it's the trial, where the prosecution tries to demonstrate that Elaine is guilty. Both sides present their evidence lind witnesses, to try to convince the jury that their side of the story is true. The jury listens carefully. They must decide whether the prosecution has proved Elaine's guilt. This is what II criminal trial for II serious crime looks like in England and Wales. Elsewhere, people might sit in different positions, but the principles are the same. Generally, ",iminoll,i.k ore .,..n 101M public. Th .. openn ... help. en.ur. 0 fei, tri.t Public c.nery EI.ino'. f.mily T "",.,..j, th •• ".j of the tri.l, both lawyen maku 'pH<h to the jury coiled. cloo<", .,cumenL Ladin and g. nU.men 0111.. ju' ~. Ihil wa •• heatll". e.im •. m.ti •• ted ~ Elaine, g' ''.' [ lai n. pe.luad od Tarak t. m ••• hill.1t .. ~ win. n~. ,nlo Ih.i. joinl aceounl b. fo •• Un aocido,1. She did IhlS I. gel his money if he died. The ni~hl belo •• Ihe acddonl. •• m~."" >om.,.d Ih.ee oflhe fou, wh .. 1 nuls on Ta,af. whot!. W,lh only .n. nul l. fllh. wh .. lf.1I .ff. Th •• ehid. "perl .aid Ihal Ta.ak uok~ I. b. ali ••. You can b •• u .. Ih.1 Hain. ,I ~u'l ly. H" /in~erp ls w ... on Ih. ca. wh .. 1 and on Ih. mini ng whee l nuls .•• andwich found ,n Ih •• am. b,~ al Ih. wheel nuls conlain.d tracrs 01 £Iai no". la:i ••. p •••• d by a sci. nbllc 1 .. 1. (lid ,h. a.m I. kill Ta.ak? Yrs. Ju.1 b.forolh. accidenl.h. did an ,nl"n.l s • .,ch I.,. "How I. caulf a fala l ca. accid. n!". Ihon .. ad ~ ",tiel ... On. ,pfC i/icall ~ .u~~rs\ed "m •• ~ wh .. 1 nuls.
Ajudge" in ch"ge ol the triol and mo • ., ,ure it ., run fairly, A, ' he end. ,he "',." up the fach of the co,. ond explain' ' he I. " to the jury to help them mo'e ' heir d«i,ion, The der' r«o,d, dec;,ion" Wip I. the UK and ' '''''eAfrican countri ... , la"Ye" and judge, "eOf ";g' when they . ", in court. Th" d, te' bad to the 17th oentury, ""'en it w., f"h"'nable for lot, of ,ieh people to weor wog', Fa"'ion dunged, wt judg .. and I' wren ' ept on _Of'ng the,.,. Some argue th.t w~, five court, a ,00e,.,n and for",,1 air, The jury i. made up of twelve me",ben of the public aged from 18-70. _ltb. l, illl _ _oF ladiel and lI.ntlemen 01 tho j th i. w .. a h.rrific ": ~:i,:'::.," Wal not c.mmitted El ai n. ,ib in . n . . .. at tho bac~ •• lIed Ihe deo~. Ta.a~ mo •• d hi' 10U •• ~ mon ~ into tho j account b.ca u .. th o coupl. Wal planninll a ho! id .~. Tut mell&lI" b.tw •• n th.m ' how IhiL £laine ', fi nllc.p.int. wc •• on thc "hc.1 of tho ca. bcen .. 'hc had ehcc~cd thc air p.eI'u ••. Elainc did put that .. ndwich in thc bin, but it I, 8 .oin.id en« that .. heel nub " c,. foynd in tho ,am. bai. +-Defena,nt AI 10. th o a.ticle. m~ client clic~. on .i!I~ thinll' online .. hcn .he i,Ii.cd.lt m"~' noth ini' That nillht, ,h. a llO clid.d o~ a wid.o 01 a cat ~iinll ' fo. Ih ....... o~., ~ou ~~ot b. ,u •• thot Elal~e i' lIu lt~ . Secu.ity c. m •• a fo.taic .how ... n.a l other poopl. ute.i~1 tho ca. pa.~. One olhemi. th o c.iminal, n.t Elainc. II
24 Guilty actP Guilty mlndP For someone to be guilty of a crime, the law SI1s that two things must be proven: that the person committed the harmfu physicallct, and that they knew what they were doing when they did it. These lire known a.clus reus, which is latin for 'guilty act' ancmens rea, meaning 'guilty mind'. The jurors in Elaine's trial now discuss their decision, or verdict. They unpick the problem by talking through the different parts of the crime. The act II un't b. a cOIncid.nct t hai tIM .. h •• t null ..... f".n~ in t he s.m. b. as he. hath.to" ""' .. ,eh! I , .. , lI.w would th. ~ ha .. got In ,I ' he did"'! put th. m the.o? £lain '$ actio ns cauu d t he c,a$ h. .... EIoIH bap.r'" IH_ l1a ~b. lo",.. n •• 1 .. is But hit finae'p,,"h ..... all .... H,. t. g t ... 1 her up? "h •• 1 nutll You don 1 take t h . .. ho.l ____ .. f! to chi cO ai. p.III.,". .. EIaIH" ...... _. til, 01"l11lP Th ••• h,d ... p .. t soid t he .. h •• llalli ne 011 .. al d.lin,ltl ~ Ih. , •• Ion 10' Ih. e,al h . could ha •• caused it. r , • •
r-Th.,·", ."--- Itl'.bu..:::'i~;;:::=:::::::-----' remember oome PI 11 .. ...u.. bo TIll '-'-e ... '''int' 'lw';"dC' ........ ................. I.m''' ......... t...----~ ... J told them durine ... t ............ ... t .......... it "til. .hetri.l. it I "iMlu.tu.. ...... ........ ,. ............ ~u.. .......... .. _.... pm., ...... "ft. - " ... Thne poinll ore importonl, 10K,.,. O/lyOM o«u,ed of. c.ime i ...... mc<I to b. ;nnounl until provencui1ty. TIle mlndl ---:::==::::::-..... I t~ink Ih. w .. t.yilli to kill hi"" 1I ... u .. 01 the lottny mOlley. holida y. ••• She .,ecifically l u .ched Ih. inb .n. t 10. "du dl" ca. ,.uh-. I do"l thlllk that .n d;", .11. 1M .. II _..-.h I . p .... t hat .... . . "toll t. kill hi .. Byt it .. u II difFe,ent bl"i'. She un't hue fyJt idl ~ cli<~ed on 11 diller ent c., crash bIOi'. l1aybe ,h. wanbd to ICUe Tarak. but didnl aduIlly ... /It to kill him? E..n if ,h. didn't ;/llud to kill him, Ihe mUlt h ... kllow .. the •• wu • hiih chance h. would di •. Any .... oll.bl • . ... 011 would kno .. thl . whul fallillj off would b ... t ..... ely dl ni·rou! What if 'he tho"IIM aboul .illini him.t tht moment byt didn't act yall~ wa nt to ~ill him? 1/ she chani. d her mind lab., Ihe shoyld hue warne d him not to d.in the ca •. The juron blk .mong tn.mlelvn for houn, until they eUwpport the lame decilion, nil". IIn11nimOll1 verdid. Wh-t W01l1d ),011 do if you WeB on thil jury? II
21 Why sentenceP The jury in Elaine's trial dec ides that she is guilty of attempted murde r It's up t o the judge to decide how she .,..iII be sentenced. But ..... hat is the point of sentencing criminals? This Venn diagram sho .... s thlt there are different types of sentences, and diffe rent reasons to sentence people. rO ,u.l,h orlmlNl' Moki", .....,.one do l o .... thine they don't ... nllo do i. puni. hmonl for 1M hurt they ;nAicled. Al l tho u ntoncel in<icle th. purple . reo . h""", ... the oppoo,lo p"_ h, .. I n . Iement of puni.hment in them. rO pit poopl. Irr Some unlenco. ore " ' 'Y or unpl •••• n! <0 they di«<>u,",o p<'opIe from oommitlinccrime. Fi ...... nd pri. on Ir ..... mple •. The moot extreme i •• d .. th H nlence - be,,,, kill...! ••• punn hmenl, ... hich dill koppen. in Chi"", S • ..d; A"bi. Ind >Om. po rt. of the USA (loh of people di'O(rff ... ~h death H nl.nc ..... ) To lleap Iverronl uri Some .entence • • re du',n«ito .top d.",erou. people from co u. in, further h.rm. . . . . . . Th .. " one ..... on for ocki ~ someone up ,n p,,"on. So_ .. ho " I .... d.",erou. micht be , iven • community .entence. Thi, mean. they . re frH, but h.n to fu lf,1 co...iition., . uch ., mH tinc ,ften with . P. obot;'n Officer, who chec k. up on them. rO ~.Ip orlmllol, oh .... t~.I. WIJI If erimin.h I_ n ....... kill •• nd eet help..hen they nH d it, they "'"y be lell likely to commit crime ' COin. Thi. i. c.lled reh. bilit.tion. For ex.mple, • c.imin.1 m. y be .. n' . n . n .n, •• m. n., . .... n . . ...... , . i.h .. in ~. ;' n •••• !-• • f • •• mmun"y oent .. "u. Or they m. y be er.en • cho"u to , .in , kill. throuch unpaid work. ro mlk. IP '". whit th., ~Id Some .entence •• r. dui:n«l to .... ble • crimin.1 to try to repair the d'mace they c. u.ed. For ex.mple,. community . ente_ mi,ht inc lude unpaOd work thot be".fit. the local .r •• , ' lICh •• Krubbi", off , rofliti. Or, • crimino l mi, ht h.n to pay money to the victim, which i. coll«l compon .. t;'n. , _\ ,
Duth ",nt.ne. Pri,on i, ,ho"n wh.,. lob of eire!' ""., .~ ,- ' 0. . r ' ""eau,. it ;, " go. d to . ehi rna < ov. ")'o,th"'gool at t~ ,.m< tim. ' ;"ot."co, in thi, IU' ~""---·';'''''' do <!rd. fop.if th. mag. of tho erim •. The judge con~'d ~~~------------"''''~ attack In advance and arak ~ Injurle~ , the fact money In the end, Ela~;::~~he mtended to :~a~e~lhmechlanned the given a pmon ~enten e o afl5~ oea n T ara. '~ 27
II Making an appeal Many people, when found guilty, want to appeal against the verdi ct. This means Isking anothe r co urt to look at their case. But I case only goes to appeal if it seems that something went wrong at the original trial. Here are some examples ... MI.han~lIng at Ivld.nOI In Halnes cau. 1 .to,," U .. . andwich in U .. lam. e.nta,n .. as to •• alloa lampl •. So ho, sa liva might ha •• contaml.,ted Ih, sandwich "cddfnlly. Erran by the Jldgl l1 aybel mad. a mll\ak. " ht n I sum", •• up th, fach of Ihe CUt. ", wh. n I"plain ,d t,. "l.vanl laws t. the jU lY? Jury mlltakes Ju , •• S ' " not .11 . .. .,. to lal' t. " "'lOM •• copt •• ch othe, whilo ...... makIng up OIl. mInds. h I I <"nhd.d £l ain. on inlhiram 10 .1. II 1111 d,d It.. Failings by defenol lawyer I dldnl both .. to "I in touch WIth ... ,In.II .. ,,,, could have mad. Ha,n.'s cal. mud, s!toni'" A 'pecilll court CIIlled.n .,.,..1 court IMIt ... d.cisian.bout whether errorI were mMH. Cruci.lly, it.1w d.cid .. whether then errorI mMH. difference to the outcome of the tri.1. An .ppe.1 court will uy _ of the.. thinr: Mi,,"ko, _,. mod., bul lh. Ye,diel ,lill ,lInd .. Bie rniotok .. _ . ",ode, and tho ... diet .......... .......... B" mi,lok ... ,..,. mlde, Ind ,~ ... I';"li, ~-l.d, kM"~ II I ,.I,i,I,
Appealing against an appeal It i. even po .. ible to appeal against the decision of <1rl appeal court. Courts have different names in different places. But everyNhere has a se ries of courts, which are ranked in importance. Least important: Trial courts Acountry hi. 1011 of tri.1 cou rb. n •• ,. i. only on. judge in each courtroom. Some pi"" ... ha .. diffor.nt tri.1 court. for minor off.nc ... nd .. rio". ".im .... Ju,ie'l only play I role in tnok for .. ,;"u, crime" Ap~.1 coo,11 .. vi.,. """thOf tri.1 court. "",d. mi,ta''''' They con,id., the detad. of th. 'f><"'mc ""'" in fmnt of them, T ri.1 court. have to follow whIt they "y. Most important: Highest court of appeal Th. high.,! coon of .p~ 1 ~.n·llook.t guo.tion. of fact, but qu<'<tion, of 10 ", E",,'Y cu. i. ov""".n by. group of j udge., They decide how t he I, ,, mou ld ~ . ppliod, notJ"" in the '~Ific c' ''' In fronl of Ih<m, bul , I", in ,imil., ca"" occurring in the futu re. foeh cou nl')' only h", one of th<,e cou",. T riol court, .nd appul court, mu,t follow " hal the high<'l court "Y" Here's an example of a cale that went all the way to the highest court. In 2008, in Louisiana, USA, a man named Robert McCoy was charged with murder. He wanted to ple~d "not guilty", but during the trial, his own lawyer said that he was guilty. At MoCG,'. trial ... ".th< jury found him gu ilty of murde r. W .... llaCG' ... , ....... .. ... 111. ap""al court ",led >gain,1 him. They,.jd that ugh hi, I.wyrr .. rol ' g, in ,t hi, .. i<he" Ih" did n'l ch.nge the outcomr ofthr tri.1 br<, u,e there , .. , '0 muc h evidrncr .ga in'l him. n.~I ..... t ...rt. .. ... rulrd in fovour of McCoy . II ,.,d that . drfrnd.nt mu<t . lwIY' br . blr to choo,r to plrl d "no. guiky". Thr court decided th" '''' ,,"ch. bIg error th.1 McCoy <hould h .. r , rrtriol. 29
lilt .. a1.lt tIIolawto 00" ..... onl' How do r •• tllallon' DO.traota WlrkP
2. Civil law Grown-ups argue about all kinds of things, from money, to relationships, to I faulty item from II shop. Sometimes, just talking can solve the problem. But other times, you need legal experts to help people settle their differences. This is what civil law is all about. It's the law that focuses on the relationships between people, companies and organizations - especially when things go wrong. 31
II You hurt mel In criminal law, if someone hurts you, thegovc rnment takes the accused to court on ~hllf of the whole of society. In civil law, if someone hurts you, you take them to court and the outcome is very different ... Criminal Tho evilty party;. p"M heti. You •• b .. n lound guilt~ 01 lib.,a ~ bro.k,ng hil I.g. I'm ,enloncing ~ou to" monlhs in pm.n. Civil You must pa~ h,m [1.000 t. c.mp. n,alt lor hi. twi,l. d ankl •. In civil usn. lin injury i. known .. II tort, which comH from th. Fr. nch _rei for 'wronf If II tort i. H riOV' enough, it might end up in II civil lind criminal tnal. As _II .. i tort. includa_ AI ....JI .. compenuI;"'" c .... rt. un .Iso nit for __ kind of _ . Oon t. _ I.e ~ for .... h ..... u uNd, wei. .. r.","""". cIom.cinc ortid •. n ' n.l. _ lIIII,t." .... _ .... ""MM. 000000000000 0000000000013 DDDDDDDDQQDD
Wbose 'aultP What do you make of this tort ea,,,? In a Scottish cafe in 1928, May Donoghue became very ill.fter drinking /I ginger beer with bits of dead snlil in it. She ended up off work for II month. Whose fault do you think it was? 'oIho 'a~.1 ha., t. inlp.el m~ batll .. I., !nailsl Not the (d'" II', not "'~ f.u(tO I'm ius! a .nail. It's nol "'~ faull .,\h,,! It' •• da.' boltl •. Tn .... ' no ", a~ I could ha .. It', c<'lainl~ n.1 "'~ lault. I'I~ faclo ry bottln ginger b .... lho i .... , •• n Ih •• naii. Poopl. mu.1 la" .... onable co .. t. avoid doing an~lh'ni 1hal "" iht ha,,,, ,o .on.lh.~ have 'ponlib ht~ \ .... ,d$. not snaill. Someone mU ll b. I. blam.' I "al ".lIg licO and 110$\ a "' .nth·lla a,~ . I "i'''' The lact.,~ o" n" .hould inspect hil b.lUn 10 ma" ."r. th.~ . " I n3iH.u, May'. story was II turning point in British law. The high court's decision established that if anyone causes harm byaccident by being careless, it's still their fault This is known IS negligence, and is the most common type of tort. So the factory owner paid Mily £200 in compensation. 33
Contracts W~en t.W:0 or more p,eople mike for~a 1 promises to nth other, In wntmg or even In conversallon, It s known IS a contract. If either side doesn't Clrry out its promise, the law becomes involved. Here's how it wcrks when a football dub hires I foatbillier. The footballer and the dub discuss a list of things they will and won't do. All the details Ire written down in II contract, and they sign it to show that they've reached In agreement. TM cl ..... p. amilll to ploW 'I" ~ ~ .... Ibon pt. V·a._ _I nti to buoj V .... ca. and pav !fOUl tint I p.omin to a~ I •• t ho I. am fo. at ll ut I ... V"rI .. _to turn up t. ('. ;III "e. plav .ach matc h ano keep hi _and to not Ito t. Ipace' , If you're tricked or pressured into .lrHinc to I contrlct, it isn't .. lid. A < ... t •• <1 i. helpful b«. u •• it Ci.u certainty 10 both , id ••. ___ w H. co n1 judi .... "h ........ he ... nls 10 I 'n ... m b. pa,o • .. " .,' .,," i/ 100n'l n .. 1 malc h. If_ .......... 'tb.p .... ,........, it·. ....... "'-chol--. ..... ...,.tw.. Ie ....... .., r- iI..,.~=,f*,awti ... The .""",nl of compenulion c.n be ac'Hd in ....... nc •. Sofool ... I1 .... oft.n ... ,oli.I •• 'bUY'",,1 dUM', which .1. 1 •• how mIlCh compenulion ;, d ... if Ihoy 1o ... lh.i, dub •• rly . Somriim •• both porti •• c.n'I .,ree on Ih. ' ichl . mounl of comp.n .. li...., aM • c""rt hOI 10 docid •. 'A. 10", .. il'. 10,.1, .nythi""oo •. In 1999, Su...d«lond foolball club •• kod Ih. foot ... ll ... 14 SI. f.n Sch ... n 10 prom .... not. to ,0 lo'poco.nd ... acroN.
Buying things Not all <:o ntra<:," inwolve oitting down lind signing II piece of paper. In the .. yes of the IlIw, every time you buy something, it's as if the seller had signed II piece of paper saying, 'This thing is fit for purpose, I S described lind satisfa ctory.' The newsagent would be in breach of contract if she sold II newspaper with some pages missing, for example. Similarly, if you buy I c.r, you would expect it to be n the seller clncribH iL But in 2015, the G.nnan carmaker VoIk,warn wu accused of mllki", milliom of can IMt dI . .... pollution tnb. n.. <0 .. were P"'C,ammed 10 produce low I ...... of pollut ..... ..... n they _re Nine ml<1l. But on nonnol ,ood. they produced .,o<ond 40 tim ... mora pollution Ih ... ..... Itcol. In Ih. USA., people an tok •• compony '0 «KIn o •• croup ~ • type of < ... coiled croup liliCot ..... So Ih., ', whol hundr.d. of , ........ ...n of VoIb .. ocen'. cullo","," did. T""1'1 n.l ... hal In Octobor 2016,. US «KIn on:Ie<e<I V ....... ac;.n •• I"Y .......... $10 ~; 1;.n;n compon ..... n '0 thew < ... tom ..... What about m.?1 B;"h don·t get comp . ns alod 10' t h. all t he . d ,a pollution to ou, lunlls. II
II Family law Some common litllJltionl might look lib print. illu" thilt shouldn't concem I 1.""Y. r or II judg •. But in _ry country t'-" • • r. nlln . bout .. ch ~f thne ,itulltion1, Thil il known II fllmily law. Botti., _ .... 111 In _ -*0,... .... CO"" ! " ... ~ ... ., ' ,.,.I"'tinc: .-.;..I_ .,-..io"o.;..J ,..-.hip .......... II' ...... _IhoI,;-,... .......... roy 131io .. ...t. .......... --.. ....... r. ........... ....-if...., ...... iII ... _ Breakln •• , To end • ","n'j"!:o or 0 ci.il porln.nhip, YO" h ... to p<oYe 10 the < ... ,tI thot th. relotion.hip i, over and con'l bo ••• ed. Only. courl <on moke it .ffici.l. A~.ptl., •• ~II~ "'"en " 'Ill .. , ~ kid? Becomine the po .... 1 . , __ eI.o' .... ild ;. kn ..... " .. odoption. It h •• 10 be opp",. od by tho court .. n .... r. ou, adopt" . p ... nt.. Ofte~,<oupl ... thot breok up h ... 10 .... k. ~ decis;on •• If thoy con'l Oi:"., lhen they mi,hl ,. 10 court. do w • • phl OUr on. ? .sI .... allll ••• n.... ... _ .............. ,..-... .... joIo ,..,..., .................... .. ............. lflhoy ............. ........ ....., , .. _ ......... ,..-.. -c. tim",. ill don"\ go to lcho.l. m~ Cad might g.t ,nto houbl •.
Family rights A lot of the rights ... e take for granted to do with lov", "nd family hnen't b .. en around for long, and still ilfen't recognized in some countries. 101.,,_ .......... n.n .. the richll<> .... "'1 ............ of .difk .... t .. licion. In ' .... io, inton.itt. ...... ior beeom. 10,.1 for rtoryone in 19!04. rill IIut" .. and WI CI" I; ... II~ tit "'"m..!. Property rlchts The r~hh 10 ' '''', buy ... 11 and i"h""1 p"operty .r. kno .... II p"operty riehl>. Unti'tM 20th «ntury, in mony ~I'<H .. omon did ""thavethe .. m. p<cperty riehl. II men,.".j .ome .till don'. Prot •• I, Tuni,i. 2019 Sama-'II marriage Thi. ;. lhe .i,hl f ... 1_ ...... Of lwo women 10,<1 ",."iN . In 2010. tho Ndh •• iands beta",. U .. fl .. 1 c.unlr~ in th. mod . ,n w.rld 10 all.w ,am"", ma,,(ago. Pis 'I,. rps., No .. irs Ifia ' I" ar.u nd 30 c.untm •. Tho ............................ .. "'-if .............. t..... .w.....io r-.iIr ......... ln .......... Ihio ... _ ............ ~_ _.. ,$ ........ rttinc pncn-L Contraception "SOd t. b. ill ' gal ,n Ireland .• look U .. 'mh g ••• rnm.nt to <ou,t an. Rot th. la .. <hang •• in 1973 . ....., ....... I ·,w. A chl",e in thalaw donn't always chlnr paople" behaviour. For nlmpll, in India, it can somatimn be hlrd for coupln of difffl-ant flith, or background, to be ICcept.a by thair communitin. 11
Property law The,. , an .,a. of I .... ~ tn.t du ll with the ,.. .. tionmip Mtween people and things, known III property law. Owninc property ........ Y""h ... tt.. ricfrt tG u .. il .nd ..... . ........,. from ;1_. _ you can I •• nlf .. your ridm 10 ............ oIH by cMnc 0 • "'i<ocY'"'" ~tG I ...... Stop' Th.r. m~ 1 •• , ' But that's not the only definition of property. People throughout history hive debated what property means - especially when it come, to land. I thin~ obod ~ .houlo ow n I Tn . \lo"rn"" n! can m.n'i' (\ f., .... ~. n •. Than how il "",,, d In ~u,,(a fot most of U .. 20lh century. I th,n' poopl •• hou lo b. allo wed 10 w.lk and ca mp on NarU"," t",op. an coun1,i.l, " I Hlin' .. e n., d p,op .. ~, \J. r. no t .ery good al lo.k,nll 01\" thing' ... don't own. my family lot Ilon ... l ionl. Keep out "nl.u I Ownini la nd i, ok. bull don't think you Ihould b. able 10 own ... t,,· th .... b,loni' 1 .... ,yb.dy.
This land Is mini Ideas .. bout property , hang .. over tim ... Sometime. people haYe to fight for those changes to get recognized by law. In tho 18t" eenlury, Enel .. " .. ilon found 0 ... I I.neI thot they'd _.Hen befor.. II • •• o;«OY ..... Nfl. land! l .t'. call it Au,tra lia' lie Cl" (i,e he .. and /arm he .. - an th'n ll we .. ani' lI. nt on,"'" people " a •• b .. n I,.,nt he •• I., 0 .. ' G5.000 V •• "I 1i. 11 now it'. OU~S. o.er tho next <o"l ury, ........ ..d mo •• Eu,op"'" mOHd 10 Au,lr.li., doimine tho 10M at ,Mi". Thi.;.. procH. k ...... n.o <oloni.otion. 11'. p.'I.cll ~ 1'1l"11 od~ o"".d thos land uflttl " ' \lot h .... Until tho 1990&, "" boliuo .......... _ 10...4 en _ .... th.t oonIiII tho Eur..-- .m...t, tho ...... ~ .. ........,.. n.;. .... ir. ................... . Thi. "'"fit t"'t lneliemo •• Au,I •• lion. - people ..... 0 •• femili .. had be ... Ii';", in A ... t,.lio 10", befo", the EUn>peOn. - didn't h .... lec.ll.nd 'iChto, In 1977 " h.n m~ dad d"d, l .. a ln'l allo ... d 10 inh.,,1 hi ll.nd. The \lo . "nmenl .aid it had' :'"'::";:' ::,~ • • ~ 10 ul. So I look Ih. c; EoWi. MoM, In.., _ ............ Ktioiot Aft., 10 y .... of court co .... , tho SUl"ome C ... rt rut..! thot Au.l.oIi. wo. NOT to, ... nulli ... , and re<OCnl1od Indiceno ... Au.l.oIi.n,' ' ;Chllo , he l.neI. (But they .lill ho .. n't cot itoll bocL l 39
40 It's MY Ide. As ..... ellas o .... ning thine' you can touch, such as land, you cln also o ..... n idells or information. This is known as intellectual property Ind there 1111 speciallnts to protect it. COPJrlght The I." ofeopyri,ht .top. ony_ from •• i", oomeone' ... ..k with..,! Il.ei, pormi ... on - whelM, it', ort, .. ritin" millie, film, TV or ... Ii_ < ... tent. Patents When you inyent .omethinc, Y"" .on "Ci.ter • potent f ... it. Thi. ,lop' onyon •• 1 •• 'rom m. i", or .. lIin, YO"' in .. nlion for. number of Y"'" r.e patenled H,i l ,de. 1o. an umb.ell a hat s. Ihat nob. d~ can '. p~ ,t Artists and inventors often depend on these IIY" to make money from their work. , But with some innntions, such IS life'Hlving drugs, that might seem unf.ir. In South Africa, hundreds of thousands of people die • .,ery year from a disease known as AIDS because they can't afford treatment. WHY DO THE DRUaS COST 10 MUCHP ONC componie •• pend million. on in .. nli", • d",C' By .l.nlinc~ , lhey con HII the d.uC to culiomen ond m.ke ,h.1 money bock. Bul .. h.!'. 0 f.ir pric.? i lor . ,uIl' .. ,onll . .... 11 h ••• t. buV ch. ape. d,ui' I •• m • t he. ,.unlties. COURT BAnLE OVER CHEAPER DRUaS A croup of dr"C componi ... took lhe Soulh Auico" co .. rnmenl lo court., 10 .top ~ Celli", choper dru~ from .uppl;'n .brood. Aft.r p<0t •• h orouMlhe _rid, lhe dNC componi •• dropped Ih. co ••• They .110 lo ... r«l lh . .... i« of the druC' from $10,000 per y •• r per p'''"" 10 $1,000 . • •
You don't havB to go to court Going 10 court tlln be expensive and time-consuming. Another option is to get the help of a.r.rson known IS. mediator. He or she won't take sides and will try to fin a solution that works for everyone - whether it's I dispute between businesses, families or even kids in the playground. Go.'e' lOy. Stud.nl medi.lor ~ w~.t happ .... o? 'lila push, . m. 0 •••. How ca n ... 101 •• 1M problem? T. ll 1h, I •• ch" 'h' hu,t m. 10 " gets d.lontion. ~ Get ~ brolh .. t. beat h,m up 10 he iI"" me bad mv pound, to The eel medi.tor the 1> ••• t.... id ... :~ ':.J::'''''''._"7;:::===:::==:::: ~ 10 ro..d th ...... ' Wh . t can V'" boO, do nDW t. '''' .. lh, p.obl, m po .. ibl • ....Iul .. n.. ""ilwut ;n .. l.,nll .nvon. ,Itt, or hll "t," Yoah.ol I lIu", 1 could paV II .. bad. And I could 'polollilO for hurt.nll h,m and promi •• nol t. do it "lain. 00 Vou Dolh atr •• al lM p.oDI.m .I b .. n lol .. d? 41
WIIJ II Ih UI o. .. tltutl •• H 1 .... _ HIW .. ,I. st., •• e .... r from h .... I'" 1M powo.,.IP DuJ'.tok • • ' .... ~HI to ... rtP
3. How is law madeP Some people have the power to make new la .... s. This is often'l.0litici,ns who sit in a parliament, but it can also be ju ges, kings and queens, or even religious scholars. It happens in different ways in different countries. Basically, everywhere has its own rules about who has power, and how new rules are made. Rules about rule-making are known as constitutional law. Some countries, but not .n, have their constitutional II .... written down in one handy document, called a constitution.
Source. 0' law Law doesn't work the same way in every part of the world. Different countries have different legal systems. One difference is where the laws come from. Here are the most common sources. Legislature Most countries have II major part of government which his the job of making new laws. It's officially call ed II legislature or legislative branch, but it's often known as I parliament, congress or assembly. H ....... of peliti<ion._ in ..... to ...... a. orwI tIoci4o _ '-s. Judges' decisions A '-....... thi. "'J ; ......... ulut., on Ad or • piea oflepLotien. Se.....ti ..... thno ... co ...... 1.d tocot ..... ime ~ .t.ol_ call.d 10,01 codn. Cooontrin W+-. oil low ; ........ by tIw Ioci&loli ... b ... net. ....... to lin •• ';';1 low • .,.1 .... . Some places have II system called common 111'0, which means thai laws are established by judges' decisions in earli er cases. 1971, USA Supreme Court r:~:;;;:;::::::- l II. rul. thai tho ""'pi ny b,.I. the law. by "futing 10 ni" Id a nillip s just beca us. ,n" it a " oman " ,tn yo un g , nild"n. My cu"ont ca .. it simil a, to Ida Pnillipt' cat. in 1971. L.I m. cnecO " nat In" judg", decided In"n. Inon' ......... I .... , . judce ...... 1 follow lho .Ioci ....... lobn loy • hie'- court in ,....;-.
Religious texts Some Muslim countries vse a system of Islamic law. This comes from Islam's central religious text, the Quran, as well as another collection of important writings, the Sunnah. Experts in Islam - scholars - study these texts in detail. Gi .. "auI .rI ~ t. ,"",;tv l1usliml ,~.uld g'" on. qua,It,.1 .n. t.nth.1 tho;, .ld •• Iii . .. in ch."tV. Sunnoh Scholars make laws IIboul how the texts apply to modern life. For example, they've described exactly who should give to charity, and how often. Clltoml In .orne placn, Ir_ilionl tINt II community h .. foll_.d ror INIny yun .n il comid. recI to be I.'" ...... n thoulh they .ren'l written down. Thil i. called customary 1_. ...... .i ..... ........................ . --. .............. A mix ... Eoch pen .... compnn """ perfwrno •• ""C wIMch ....d. ,''' .t ..... in • dover, funnJ ...,.. W"--.... t .... tertain. tho rei! " tho~ .. instho disfoute . ~. is .uGh. dumlV hunl,,_ h. can't • .,n calch his own b.oh! The legal systems of many countriu get their laws from a mixture of these sourcu. Turn the page to Find out more ...
Wllat ..., ..... wII ..... C.~.d ••••• com ........ ~-'- 1 ..... !onc.i<I. I .... p ... "! by ill p.,li.m,nt. Th.USA •••• comm ... I ... .. ... 11 •• 10 ......... <1 by ill Co"', .. .. Con,d. r"' U ~ ,.. Chile, Pe,.., Arcenti ... , and moll other cO<Int";"., in South Am ... ico h ... c;vil I, ... pte ..... ~- -- 41 In En,I .. ,d . .... Wales, Northern I,el.nd Scotlond . .... lr.l.nd, .ome I ..... r. mad. by porliomenl •• r .... mbliH, on d ........ i. common I . .. . l1y country "SOd 10 D. ,ul,d by ft.""., ,. ou, system I,o~$ French-.pe.kif\( Afric,n «Iuntri •• , luch •• Senecol, tond 10 h ... <; .. 11 ... • y.tem •. 10k. franco',. N~.rj •••••• mixture of common 1 .... 1.1 ...... I ... ond 10 .... mod. by it. Notionol A ... mbly. I S""'th Africo "Ie,' combination of common 10", cu.lomary I ... ond 10 .. , mod. by ill Porlioment.
Wold on_ .. nat don ·c .. illa .. · Mo.t Europeon count';n h ... c;'il I." .y.t.m •. S.udi Ar. bio Ule' ld.mic I .... ·Cmlla .. · (al opposed to c,iminall a .. ) can ,el .. to 1 ... 1 .boul .. tatio nshipl b.t .... n p.opl •. But b ... 8 '" 4 ·c ... ll~w '!I,t<m· i. som,thlng qUlle diHe"nl. ThaI moan. one .. ,th allla ..... "lion down in codn., legislation. And g.t Inis_ both d.Lllaw SOJstom. and common la .. 1~.le l ha.e bDth c,.illa ... and ",(minal law •. Chin. lndi. Ule •• mix of common 10", relic;i .... l ... , cullomory I . .. and I ... mode by p.rlioment. Ou, I. gal .~'h m l.o k. a hke th. onn In C .. an~ and France. booause .. e chose to cop~ th~ . 'usl,alia hal a l'ials~s m limllar 10 Ihe Engh.h one. because w. used 10 be contr.ll, d b~ B"taln. UI too! lr. the .ame I •••• m. 4ftioon ond Ca"bb.an <ounlriu. India. Canada. l1ala~.ia and " ."al m.re. Au.tr.li . . .... N .... Z.ol.n<! both u" common 10 .. • lont'id. 10 .... po.led by their porliom.nt •. ~ .. --- 41
Judge-made law Common law develops over lime. With each new ~imilar case, decisions by judges make laws more and more precise. Here's an example, from over 100 yea rs ago in England .. In 1884, arl English crew \'las shipwrecked off the coast of Africa. After weeks adrift in a tiny boat, they were desperate with hunger arld thirst. L.t's . ,11 and .a1 Richa,d . Loo. al lll. ~ .. , lick and .-ill die loo n n~wav, y" . It ,hould b. him Ihal di ... b«au •• w. ha •• lamili.1 bad hom •. ~.ldoy>l.ot ...... I min ~ich.rd. rm having no pa,1 In H,il' loo" A ship' 'J. ,. la •• d! Back in Enaland. Dudley a'Id Stephtons were cn.raed with murder. TMir defence lawyer .raued that it 1'1" necessary to lair Rich.rd Parker in order for tlwm to suy .rIVe. But.fter a tn.l.nd an .ppeal. the judrs ruled that they Wfl"e fJilty of murder. It "al n.l ,"uua,v to k,ll ~ich.rd, Dud l. V and ~teph.nl pick.d him b. caut, h. ",at ~.ung au' d, cLtl.n II and ""ak. On,.f Ih' .th .. mon Imp.,lant becauu It <ouM ha ... a«Ihood ";11 .I.p .c "'I~· U" ml.l.u in.l.ad t. ta •• U" .lh. tS. b .. nll usod I. alio", ... ~~~ __ ~~ .. " h.rt;fic. ,mm.,al actt • ,n U" fulu ...