Criminal law or penal law involves prosecution by the state of a person for an act that has been classified as a crime. It is the body of statutory and common law that deals with crime and the legal punishment of criminal offenses. The vast majority of the crimes committed in the United States are prosecuted and punished at the state level. Although states have similar laws with regard to crimes such as murder, rape, penalties vary from state to state. Criminal law deals with: arson, assault, battery, bribery, burglary, child abuse, child pornography, computer crimes, controlled substances, credit card fraud, criminal defense, drugs and narcotics, embezzlement, expungements, felonies, fraud, homicide, identity theft, internet and cyberspace crime, manslaughter, money laundering, murder, perjury, prostitution, rape, robbery, sex crimes, shoplifting, theft, weapons, white collar crime and Wire Fraud among others.
