Criminal Law Overview

Criminal Law is defined as the body of statutes which provide the punishments for legal offenses. The process of criminal justice actually begins with an alleged crime. The allegation is an accusation that comes from a complaining witness or peace officer. If the government agency having jurisdiction over the matter, decides to prosecute the case, they then file a criminal complaint called an information. In cases dealing with grand juries - the instrument filed is called an indictment.