Differences Between Criminal and Civil Cases

Sherb Sentell III is a practicing civil and criminal lawyer whose office is located in Minden, Louisiana. His law firm, the Sentell Law Firm LLC, handles civil cases involving car accidents, oil and gas, contract disputes, successions, and corporate and limited liability company work in the Minden, Bossier City, and Shreveport regional areas.

1. Differences Between Criminal and Civil Cases By Sherb Sentell III

2. Introduction Sherb Sentell III is a practicing civil and criminal lawyer whose office is located in Minden, Louisiana. His law firm, the Sentell Law Firm LLC, handles civil cases involving car accidents, oil and gas, contract disputes, successions, and corporate and limited liability company work in the Minden, Bossier City, and Shreveport regional areas. As an Assistant District Attorney with over 12 years experience for Bossier and Webster Parishes, Sherb Sentell has lectured on criminal law in a number of venues, including Penn State University's Dickinson School of Law located in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

3. Criminal and Civil Cases There are a number of notable differences in the litigation process when comparing criminal and civil cases. The overarching difference is that in a criminal case, the offense is considered to have been committed against the state or society. Even personal crimes, such as homicide, are deemed as a transgression against the community at large due to the crime’s heinous nature. Prosecutors, therefore, represent the state when trying a criminal case, whereas attorneys in a civil case serve a wronged individual or party. However, Sherb Sentell makes it a part of his practice as a criminal prosecutor to always get input from the victim or victim’s family in serious felony cases.

4. Conclusion Criminal cases also are different because they involve penalties that include jail or hard labor confinement and in the most extreme cases can result in life in prison or the death penalty. Civil cases generally involve disputes in which the court remedy involves the payment of money from one party to the other and/or may include certain court orders or restrictions. Criminal punishments can also include fines, court costs, and restitution to the victim.