The first civilizations generally did not distinguish between civil law and criminal law. The first written codes of law were designed by the Sumerians. Around 2100–2050 BC See more

Criminal law is distinctive for the uniquely serious, potential consequences or sanctions for failure to abide by its rules. Every crime is composed of criminal elements. Capital punishment may be imposed in some jurisdictions for the most serious crimes. … See more

Public international law deals extensively and increasingly with criminal conduct that is heinous and ghastly enough to affect entire societies and regions. The formative source of modern international criminal law was the Nuremberg trials following the Second World War See more

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Theories of Criminal Law
• Findlaw.com Criminal Law Center
• Cornell Institute
• Max Planck Information System for Comparative Criminal Law Country reports on criminal law … See more

Many laws are enforced by threat of criminal punishment, and the range of the punishment varies with the jurisdiction. The scope of criminal law is too vast to catalog intelligently. … See more

• Administrative law
• International law
• Legal socialization
• Public criminology
• Martial law See more