1. Criminal law is a part of public law — the law regulating the relations between citizens and the state. Crime is an act which the state considers to be wrong and which can be punished by the state.
2. It is the principle that a person cannot be considered guilty of a crime until the state proves he committed it.
3. The state must prove the suspect's guilt according to high standards, and for each crime there are precise ele-ments which must be proven.
4. In common law systems, the elements of some crimes are detailed in statutes.
5. Theft is: "dishonestly appropriating property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it".
6. There are further definitions of each element of the definition, such as appropriating, which may mean taking away, destroying, treating as your own, and selling.
7. Burglary is entering someone's land without permission intending to steal or commit an act of violence.
8. Committing burglary a criminal enters someone's land without permission, whereas theft is just appropriating someone's property.
9. Robbery is using force or threats in order to steal from someone.
10. There are usually two important elements to a crime: (I) the criminal act itself: and (II) the criminal state of mind of the person when he committed the act.
11. In Anglo-American law these are known by the Latin terms of (I) Actus Reus and (II) Mens Rea.