Озаглавьте текст When governments make laws for their citizens, they use the system of courts backed by the power of
the police to enforce these laws. Of course, there may be instances where the law is not enforced
against someone - such as when young children commit crimes, when the police have to concentrate
on certain crimes and therefore ignore others, or in countries where there is so much political
corruption that certain people are able to escape justice by using their money or influence. But the
general nature of the law is enforced equally against all members of the nation.
Government-made laws are nevertheless often patterned upon informal rules of conduct
already existing in society, and relations between people are regulated by a combination of all these
rules. This relationship can be demonstrated using the example of a sports club.
Suppose a member of a rugby club is so angry with the referee during a club game that he hits
him and breaks his nose. At the most informal level of social custom, it is probable that people seeing
or hearing about the incident would criticize the player and try to persuade him to apologize and
perhaps compensate the referee in some way. At a more formal level, the player would find he had
broken the rules of his club, and perhaps of a wider institution governing the conduct of all people
playing rugby, and would face punishment, such as a fine or a suspension before he would be allowed
to play another game. Finally, the player might also face prosecution for attacking the referee under
laws created by the government of his country. In many countries there might be two kinds of
prosecution. First, the referee could conduct a civil action against the player, demanding compensation
for his injury and getting his claim enforced by a court of law if the player failed to agree privately.
Second, the police might also start an action against the player for a crime of violence. If found guilty,
the player might be sent to prison, or he might be made to pay a fine to the court – that is, punishment
for an offence against the state, since governments often consider anti-social behaviour not simply as a
matter between two individuals but as a danger to the well-being and order of society as a whole.

Lizzkkaa    1   28.11.2021 16:40    3