The Law and Civil Liberties Part II

U.K. Laws

Where do Laws come from?

Our main source of Law comes from Parliament. This is known as Statute Law. Have a look at the following clip to understand how laws are made: http://www.parliament.uk/education/onlineresources/parliament-explained/the-commons-andlords/ Judges also make law through the decisions they make, this is known as Common Law. Eg. Our current law on Murder has been built up over 500 years of judges decisions. It has not come from Parliament They are both types of Law they must be obeyed.

U.K. Laws

What are the main types of Law?

There are offences of criminal law which can lead to fines or imprisonment and are investigated by the police. Civil law is when an individual takes action through the courts to determine responsibilities or to seek damages. Can you think of an example of a criminal case and a civil case?

 So, now we know where Laws come from why is it that we respect them? Do we respect laws because we want to avoid the punishments induced for non compliance; or do we obey laws because of an innate sense of morality?

Discuss What rules have you broken? Did you get sanctioned? Was the sanction suitable? Do we break rules if we think we can get away with it? Do laws protect our liberties?

Discussion - Why respect laws?

Civil liberties
Civil liberties are freedoms which protect individuals from state abuse or government power. Civil liberties set limits for government so that it cannot abuse its power and interfere with the lives of its citizens In this country we enjoy certain rights such as freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the right to due process, to a fair trial, to own property and to privacy.

The Human Rights Act

1. 2. 3. Right to Life Prohibition of torture Prohibition of slavery and forced labour 4. Right to liberty and security 5. Right to a fair trial 6. No punishment without law 7. Right to respect for private and family life 8. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion 9. Freedom of expression 10. Freedom of assembly and association 11. Right to marry These are some of the rights written in the Human Rights Act DISCUSSION Do you think all these apply in modern Britain? Do you think Human Rights should apply to all, including prisoners? Last week 3 men who have been given whole life tariffs (rest of their natural life in prison) were challenging their sentence saying it amounted to inhumane treatment http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk20433191

Does the law protect or restrict?

Task: with a partner think of arguments for and against the following: CCTV cameras - the U.K has more surveillance equipment than the whole of Europe put together! ASBOs Anti Social Behaviour Orders restrict movements and control offenders. Mosquito Repellers (low level sonic devices that only affect young people) Should the government be able to restrict our movements? In what circumstances should this be allowed?

The Effects of Crime

Crime effects many people, not just the victims. There has been a recent move towards restorative justice which forces offenders to confront the crimes they have committed by meeting their victims. There was a recent suggestion that knife crime offenders should visit A&E wards to consider the effects of their actions. What do you think about this? BBC News knife victims visited in A&E_files