This episode introduces students to the foundations of criminal law and explains how society defines, prosecutes, and punishes criminal behavior. The discussion distinguishes law from justice, compares criminal and civil liability, and explains why one wrongful act can lead to both a government prosecution and a private lawsuit. The episode also explores key criminal law principles such as ignorance of the law, actus reus, mens rea, corporate criminal liability, white-collar crime, criminal defenses, civil disobedience, constitutional protections, burdens of proof, sentencing, and the death penalty.

Students will come away with a clearer understanding of why criminal law is not just about punishing wrongdoing. It is also about limiting government power, protecting individual rights, and balancing society’s need for order with the citizen’s  ...