I think you mean civil law and criminal law. From the Wiki: Civil law (common law), the area of law in common law countries governing relations between private individuals; it includes the private law in common law systems, as well as non-criminal statutes regulating actions of individuals and corporations in a society. In this usage the term divides the relevant area of law from criminal law and other areas of public law. A civil code is a systematic compilation of civil law in core areas of private law in common law countries. Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of statutory and common law that deals with crime and the legal punishment of criminal offenses. There are four theories of criminal justice: punishment, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. It is believed that imposing sanctions for the crime, society can achieve justice and a peaceable social order. This differs from civil law in that civil actions are disputes between two parties that are not of significant public concern. Criminal law in most jurisdictions, both in the common and civil law traditions, is divided into two fields: Criminal procedure regulates the process for addressing violations of criminal law Substantive criminal law details the definition of, and punishments for, various crimes.