CONTENTS Page 4 Page 6 Page 8 What Are Laws What is Justice Law and Justice Page 12 Types of Justice Page 14 Justice and Human Rights Page 18 Deciding What is Just Page 22 Unjust Laws in the Past Page 26 Injustice Around the World Page 28 Justice Today Page 30 Class Discussions Page 31 Glossary Page 32 Index Words in bold can be found in the glossary on page 31
what ARE LAWS Laws are rules that are put in place by a country’s government Every country has its own set of laws They apply to everyone equally and everyone must follow them Laws exist to ensure that communities are safe positive places to live They are meant to be moral and fair so that people in communities are treated equally and have the same opportunities Laws should help people in a country meet their needs such as accessing education or housing A person who does not follow the law is committing a crime For most crimes there is a punishment from being sent to prison to paying a fine and completing community service When laws are followed they serve some of the following purposes A COUNTRY’S GOVERNMENT IS USUALLY ABLE TO CHANGE LAWS REMOVE OLD LAWS AND CREATE NEW LAWS BASED ON THE CHANGING NEEDS OF CITIZENS 4
THE PURPOSES OF LAWS Laws help stop people from doing immoral things by clearly explaining the actions that are wrong The law calls these actions illegal For example laws in most countries say that stealing is illegal Laws also allow people to be legally stopped from breaking the law which is usually done by the police Laws provide a way for people to settle arguments peacefully If there were no laws there would be no way to fairly identify and punish wrongdoings Under most legal systems people go to court to settle disputes allowing a judge to make legal decisions Laws help make a community work together When everyone in a community follows laws they make their community a better place to live For example laws that stop people from throwing garbage into rivers lakes or onto the street help protect nature and keep a community clean Laws set out fair punishments for crimes and ensure that these punishments are carried out Setting out and enforcing fair punishments helps communities be safer and is meant to allow community members to be treated with equality 5
