"Not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime"?So how do I know which are and which aren't?

Question

Attorney General Michael Mukasey

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iMLdpc8yHZ2HtmHRbOc4sWn7qyJAD92GUGP00

Answer 1

did you actually read what you wrote? "not every violation of the law is a crime".then what is a crime? a crime is a violation of the law.sounds like someone has been smoking something.there are civil and criminal law. civil laws will not for the majority will not carry jail time but it is still a crime.the safe bet is to not violate any law.

    civil statutes themselves will carry no jail penalty.on the other hand many many times criminal charges are files out of the civil cases.

----------retired texas deputy sheriff----------

Answer 2

The things you get caught doing and get charges brought against you for will clarify this question for you real quick.  

Answer 3

Criminal law is only part of all law. Things such as torts and contracts usually fall into what is called civil law. If you breach a contract, it isn't necessarily a crime, but you will probably become liable to the other party, and might end up owing that party a few hundred dollars or something.

Also, there are regulatory laws, agency rules, administrative laws, etc. Sometimes they even conflict with each other, and a court has to decide which one takes precedence (i.e., which one is "controlling").

In order to commit an actual crime, you typically have to actually intend to commit an act which is prohibited by a criminal statute. If you just mess up, or if you are just careless or negligent in some way, you might have to pay somebody a lot of money, but it probably won't be a crime.

Answer 4

I think this statement is ignorant,I read article he needs to go back to law school