Unit 3 – P3
Alex Omidvar
Introduction
In this assignment, I have fully explained the differences between law and morality as well as the
distinction between a civil action and a criminal offence. The elements of crime were thoroughly
described with examples. These include the actus reus of a crime and mens rea.
I have also included a scenario where the elements of crime are recognised and evaluated in relation to
the factors of the scenario.
As it is shown in the statistics, only 45% of the
majority of criminal cases are effective. Crown
courts only deal with 1% of all criminal cases but
only 52% of the cases were effective.
Elements of a crime
Differences between criminal offence and civil action
A civil action mostly refers to a dispute between two individuals or parties whereas a criminal offence is
when someone violates the law and there is a punishment for it. Similar to the criminal offense, the civil
actions also have punishments mostly in forms of money. For instance, if a bank carelessly reports
incorrect credit information about some costumers, they can be fined for each violation. However, such
an offense is not classed as a dispute but the damages are not too serious and their action could have
been unintentional. In contrast, rape is intentional and the damages are far too serious therefore it
classes as a criminal offense. Furthermore, most criminal cases tend to allow for trial by jury by right
whereas civil cases are usually decided by a judge alone. It is also crucial to consider that decisions that
are made for criminal cases are on grounds of proving beyond reasonable doubt whereas for civil cases,
balance of probabilities is considered.
1
Alex Omidvar
Introduction
In this assignment, I have fully explained the differences between law and morality as well as the
distinction between a civil action and a criminal offence. The elements of crime were thoroughly
described with examples. These include the actus reus of a crime and mens rea.
I have also included a scenario where the elements of crime are recognised and evaluated in relation to
the factors of the scenario.
As it is shown in the statistics, only 45% of the
majority of criminal cases are effective. Crown
courts only deal with 1% of all criminal cases but
only 52% of the cases were effective.
Elements of a crime
Differences between criminal offence and civil action
A civil action mostly refers to a dispute between two individuals or parties whereas a criminal offence is
when someone violates the law and there is a punishment for it. Similar to the criminal offense, the civil
actions also have punishments mostly in forms of money. For instance, if a bank carelessly reports
incorrect credit information about some costumers, they can be fined for each violation. However, such
an offense is not classed as a dispute but the damages are not too serious and their action could have
been unintentional. In contrast, rape is intentional and the damages are far too serious therefore it
classes as a criminal offense. Furthermore, most criminal cases tend to allow for trial by jury by right
whereas civil cases are usually decided by a judge alone. It is also crucial to consider that decisions that
are made for criminal cases are on grounds of proving beyond reasonable doubt whereas for civil cases,
balance of probabilities is considered.
1
