Our laws grow out of common values and beliefs in two ways: through rules written by legislatures and through decisions made by judges. Both of these sources of law have a long history, and both have played an important role in the development of American law. Laws change over time. Some change because people's values change. Others disappear because they are out of date or fail to deal adequately with new developments. The laws that last are those that are seen as fair and understandable by the majority of the people. VIDEO OBJECTIVES - Explain how laws made by legislatures differ from guidelines established by judges' decisions - Explore the history and importance of legal codes - Analyze our Constitution and state constitutions as sets of laws - Describe how laws are carried out by government agencies - Explain why laws are sometimes changed

Police and other law enforcement agencies, courts, and jails and prisons make up our criminal justice system. Together, their job is to protect people against crime and to find and punish lawbreakers. The criminal justice system, however, faces a major challenge in that it must protect society against those who break the law and yet also must protect the rights of people who have been accused of crimes. Americans often disagree about how to balance these responsibilities. VIDEO OBJECTIVES - Explain the role of police officers - Describe what happens when someone is arrested - Identify the steps in a typical criminal trial - Compare different types of correctional institutions - Examine the challenges facing the criminal justice system - Analyze several proposals for fighting crime

Laws are the basic rules of a society. They are enforced by the government to bring order to society, set standards, and facilitate the resolution of serious conflicts. Laws also protect people by safeguarding their lives, their property, and their individual freedoms. Although laws grow out of the morals of the people making them, people sometimes disagree with laws because the laws can go against particular sets of morals. If people want to change a law, our democratic government provides ways to do so. In the meantime, we have a responsibility to each other to live by the laws we have. VIDEO OBJECTIVES - Explain how laws help bring order to society - Describe how laws protect safety, property, and individual freedoms - Explore ways that laws protect society as a whole - Define the common purpose of all laws - Analyze the link between laws and morals

There are two major kinds of law—criminal law and civil law. A crime is any behavior that is illegal because it harms people or society. Criminal law lists those crimes and tells how accused persons should be tried and punished if found guilty. Civil law helps settle disagreements between people. It provides a way for people to settle disagreements in court if they cannot or will not settle them privately. Together, criminal and civil law look after our needs and rights. VIDEO OBJECTIVES - Explore the purpose and source of criminal law - Explain how civil law differs from criminal law - Describe how criminal and civil law can work together

Every 16 seconds a violent crime takes place in the United States, while every three seconds a property crime occurs. It is understandable then that Americans are concerned about crime. In general, cities and poor neighborhoods have more crimes than rural areas or wealthy neighborhoods. Opinions about the cause of crime vary and include: poverty, rapid social change, unhappy family life, and drug use. These and many other aspects of our modern society have been blamed for causing crime. People do not agree about which of these causes is most important. VIDEO OBJECTIVES - Understand why crime is a major problem in the United States - Summarize the major types of crimes - Analyze important causes of crime