 Eliseo Lugo III

 By the end of class today, students will be able to:  Distinguish between the two major groups of laws; criminal and civil.  Define and explain the significance of specific legal terms such as: criminal law, civil law, felony, misdemeanor, civil action, defendant, plaintiff, prosecutor, beyond a reasonable doubt, and preponderance of the evidence.  Describe the differences between misdemeanors and felonies by analyzing various cases.

 Regulate public conduct and set out duties owed to society.  Brought by the government against a person committing a crime  2 types of criminal laws:  Felonies  Misdemeanors CRIMINAL LAWS

 Less severe than a felony.  A misdemeanor in the United States of America is punishable by fines, probation, community service and up to twelve months incarceration.  Conviction of a misdemeanor can lead to a prison term of up to a year.  Persons convicted of misdemeanors retain certain rights lost by those convicted of felonies.  Examples of misdemeanors include petty larceny, Simple battery, public intoxication, and trespass.

 More severe crime than a misdemeanor.  Persons convicted of felonies can be sentenced to terms in prison over a year in length.  Persons convicted of felonies lose other privileges such as the right to vote, the right to hold government employment, and the right to carry firearms.  Felonies are classified as either violent or non-violent.  Examples of felonies include: murder, grand larceny, insider trading, racketeering and rape.

CIVIL LAWS  Regulate relations between individuals or groups of individuals  Civil Action- lawsuit brought against one person by another person  Regulate- marriage, divorce, contracts, real estate, insurance, consumer protection and negligence

 The burden of proof in a criminal case is: Beyond a reasonable doubt.  The burden of proof in a civil case is: By a preponderance of the evidence  The OJ Simpson case is an excellent example that explains the differences between criminal and civil cases.

 OJ Simpson was found NOT GUILTY in his Criminal Trial  He was found LIABLE in his civil trial.  How was this possible?  Lets find out!  The OJ Simpson Trial The OJ Simpson Trial