Good Learning Co.
SavannahYear 8
← Citizenship
CitizenshipLaw and justice20 min★★ difficulty

Criminal law, civil law and young people

Not all legal disputes are the same. Criminal law deals with offences against society, while civil law resolves disagreements between individuals — and young people are treated differently within both.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Law and justice: Understand the difference between criminal and civil law, and how the legal system deals with young people

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Understand the difference between criminal and civil law, and how the legal system deals with young people

Key learning points

  • • Criminal versus civil law
  • • The role of the police and courts
  • • The age of criminal responsibility

This lesson at a glance

  • 20 minutes
  • 14 parts to scroll through
  • 3 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

differencecriminalsystempeopleversus

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 14 · Discover7%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 14

Watch first

Criminal law, civil law and young people

An English teaching video on this topic from Mr Elliott. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Understand the difference between criminal and civil law, and how the legal system deals with young people

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 14

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Criminal versus civil law

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 14

Learn

Criminal versus civil law

Criminal law covers actions considered harmful to society as a whole, such as theft or assault; cases are brought by the state (the Crown Prosecution Service) and can lead to punishments like fines or prison. Civil law resolves disputes between individuals or organisations, such as contract disagreements or personal injury claims, and usually results in compensation rather than punishment.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 14

Learn

The role of the police and courts

The police investigate crimes, gather evidence and can arrest suspects, but it is courts — magistrates' courts for less serious cases and Crown Courts for serious ones — that decide guilt and sentence offenders. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 14

Quick check

Who brings most criminal prosecutions in England and Wales?

6

Reset break

Part 6 of 14

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
7

Quick check

Part 7 of 14

Quick check

What is the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales?

8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 14

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · The age of criminal responsibility

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 14

Learn

The age of criminal responsibility

In England and Wales, the age of criminal responsibility is 10, meaning children under 10 cannot be charged with a crime. Young people aged 10 to 17 who offend are usually dealt with by youth courts, which are more private than adult courts and focus on rehabilitation as well as consequences.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 14

Quick check

Which best describes civil law?

11

Challenge round

Part 11 of 14

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

12

Challenge round

Part 12 of 14

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

____ law covers actions considered harmful to society as a whole, such as theft or assault; cases are brought by the state (the Crown Prosecution Service) and can lead to punishments like fines or prison.

Young ____ aged 10 to 17 who offend are usually dealt with by youth courts, which are more private than adult courts and focus on rehabilitation as well as consequences.

13

Mastery quiz

Part 13 of 14

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Criminal law, civil law and young people

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. Which case would be dealt with under civil law?

  2. 2. Who brings most criminal prosecutions in England and Wales?

  3. 3. What is the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales?

  4. 4. Which best describes civil law?

14

Lesson round-up

Part 14 of 14

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Case study

Should the town centre have a curfew for under-16s?

After a rise in reported vandalism, Harbrook council proposed that under-16s should not be in the town centre after 9 pm without an adult. Police recorded 62 incidents last year, most between 9 pm and midnight. Shopkeepers signed a petition supporting the plan.

A youth council objected. They pointed out that most young people in town at night were going home from sports clubs or work, that the plan punishes a whole group for the acts of a few, and that the library and the bus interchange are in the town centre. They asked instead for a late bus and a youth space.

The council voted to trial the curfew for six months and to publish the crime figures at the end.

Written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. Give the strongest point on each side of the argument, using a fact from the case.
  2. Whose rights and whose responsibilities are involved here? Explain both.
  3. Write your own view on the curfew with reasons and one example.

  • Reading and response

    Reading

    Read the case in the lesson again and write what you think should happen, and why it is fair. Use one fact from the case as evidence.

    2 paragraphs (PEE)

  • Extended writing

    Writing

    Write your answer to the lesson's big question in full: the strongest point on each side, then your own view with reasons and an example.

    250–350 words

  • Reading log

    Reading

    Find one news story this week that links to this lesson. Note the headline, where you read it, and how it connects.

    1 story, 4–5 sentences

  • Two sides of the argument

    Writing

    Write the strongest point for, the strongest point against, and then your own view with a reason.

    3 paragraphs

  • Poster or leaflet plan

    Diagram

    Plan a leaflet that explains this right or responsibility to someone your age, then photograph it.

    1 planned page

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    Understand the difference between criminal and civil law, and how the legal system deals with young people

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