How is criminal law classified within the broader legal framework?

Criminal law is classified as public law because it deals with the regulation of social conduct and the enforcement of society's collective standards of behavior, which are deemed harmful to society. Public law encompasses areas that involve the government and its relationship with individuals, including criminal law, administrative law, and constitutional law.

In contrast, private law governs relationships and disputes between private individuals or entities, such as contracts, torts, and property law. Common law refers to legal principles developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes, while constitutional law involves the interpretation and application of a country's constitution. The unique characteristic of criminal law as a branch of public law is that violations are considered offenses against the state or society at large, leading to prosecution by government authorities rather than individual victims. This classification emphasizes the societal interest in maintaining public order and safety through established statutory definitions of offenses and corresponding penalties.