Criminal Law is the body of law that pertains to conduct forbidden due to the risk it poses to the safety and integrity of people, property, the environment and the moral fabric of society. There is considerable variation in criminal law according to jurisdiction. Unlike civil law, where the emphasis rests upon resolving disputes between opposing parties, criminal law involves punishment – such as by imprisonment – of the perpetrator. An LLM that specialises in criminal law prepares students for a career as an attorney with a specialism; defending or prosecuting criminals and making judgements on particular cases. Criminal law is also pertinent to certain academic fields, such as the discipline of Legal Studies, Philosophy, and criminology.
