Criminal Law Vs Civil Law - Midemeanors and Felonies
Criminal law, sometimes called penal law, is a body of rules defined by mode of enforcement. Violation of criminal law is almost entirely prosecuted by the government, unlike the civil law, which often may be enforced by private parties. Consequences for non-compliance with the criminal law, depending on the offense, may include execution, loss of liberty, government supervision (parole or probation), or forfeiture of an amount of property not proportional to any loss from the crime. There are some archetypal crimes, like murder, but the criminal law is not strictly defined by the acts that are forbidden. Serious failures to abide by civil regulations often are punishable by criminal process and acts affected by the criminal law may vary widely across different jurisdictions.
In simplistic terms: Criminal law is interested in taking your life and liberty, where as the civil law wants your property (pursuit of happiness)
