What is the difference between criminal law and civil law in the Uk?
In criminal law the Crown has the right to prosecute citizens for criminal offences. Criminal law is made by the Crown , although of course it is drafted by Government and passed by Parliament before it goes to the monarch for “rubber-stamping” as law (the process is called ‘ Royal Assent’). In civil law there is a plaintiff, which is someone who applies to a court for their case to be heard, and a defendant, someone who the plaintiff requires some sort of redress. A plaintiff or defendant can be a private individual or any other single legal entity such as a company , a local authority or a business partnership. Civil law applies to the principals of common law, but in civil actions , unlike criminal proceedings, the Crown takes no sides. The Crown supplies the court, the judge, and, if necessary, the enforcement of the judges rulings.
