Exam #1
1. Beginning with common law and concluding with contemporary law, explain how criminal
law has evolved as society has evolved.
Common law was early English Law, developed by royal judges, that incorporated Anglo-Saxon
tribal custom, feudal rules and practices, and the everyday rules of behavior of local villages.
Common law became the standardized law of the land in England and eventually formed the
basis of criminal law in the United States.
It all started with The Norman Conquest of England (1066), these judges would travel through the
land and hold court various times in a year, and several villagers would be called to the stands to
confess any criminal activity they took part in since the royal judges last visit. With local rules of
conduct used as a guide, the royal judges would decide for what to do with each case.
In contemporary society, the law governs the majority of human enterprise phases which
include commerce, family life, property transfer, and the regulation of interpersonal conflict.
Personal relationships between individuals and the public are regulated as well. Formerly known
as civil law with the latter being known as criminal law, it gets divides into four broad categories:
substantive criminal law, procedural criminal law, civil law, and public or administrative law.
Before the American Revolution, the colonies were to obey the common law. After the colonies
won their independence, the state legislatures standardized common-law into the form of criminal
