Unit 44 Law, exercise 1

Complete the text using the correct form of the keywords in text A below.

Utilitarianism is a philosophy where the 'correct' decision is the one that results in the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people. This philosophy has had an effect on how our legal system works. The utilitarian approach to law is that society should punish   criminal behaviour to ensure the pleasure of society as a whole. For Utilitarians, punishment has four goals:

• To prevent all crime.

• When it cannot prevent crime, to ensure that a criminal will commit a lesser crime to avoid a harsh punishment.

• To give a criminal an incentive not to harm others if they commit a crime.

• To ensure that any illegal activity has the least cost to society.

A

Oxford Academic Vocabulary Practice The British legal system is divided into two types of law to cover different situations – public and private law. Public law is defined as laws that affect the whole of society at any one time, for example criminal law. Private law (also known as 'civil law') affects individuals and businesses. Examples of this could be where people working in a company have a dispute, or when a married couple are considering divorce.

The main purpose of criminal law is to stop and punish certain types of behaviour that can cause physical danger or distress to others. Criminal law ensures that we have a civilized society, illegal activity is reduced, and the population as a whole feels safe. If a person commits a crime, then the legal system allows them to be punished.