ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Criminal law of the United States

Okay kiddo, do you know what a rule is? Like when your parents tell you not to jump on the couch or eat too many cookies? Well, the United States has rules too, but they're a little bit more serious than that. These rules are called laws.

One of the sets of laws in the United States is called criminal law. It's all about what you can and can't do that might hurt other people or break the rules in a really big way. So if you do something that's against criminal law, the government might come and punish you for it.

Here's an example: Let's say you take something from someone else without their permission. That's not nice, and it's also against the law. That means it's a crime. If you get caught doing that, you might have to go to court and talk about what happened, and a judge will decide what punishment you should get. Maybe you'll have to give the thing back, say you're sorry, and do some community service. If you did something really bad, like hurt someone on purpose, the punishment might be a lot worse, like going to jail.

Different states in the United States have their own criminal laws, but some of them are the same no matter where you are. Most criminal laws say that if you do something on purpose and you know it's against the law, you can be punished for it. But if you didn't know it was against the law or you did it by accident, that might be different.

It's really important to follow the criminal laws in the United States so you don't get in trouble. If you do something wrong, it's always better to tell someone and make it right rather than running away or lying. That's called being responsible, and it's always a good idea.