“The state is treated as the injured party, and the alleged wrongdoer is the defendant” (Hemmens, Brody, & Spohn, 2013). Criminal laws are often referred to as substantive laws, meaning they are considered criminal laws. These laws are often defined by a statute that both prescribes what people should do and proscribes different types of behavior or what people should not do. Therefore, these laws are in place as a code of conduct for society to follow and prohibit things such as murder, theft, and assault. If a person violates any of these laws, it is considered an act against the state and against the victim. “The primary purpose of criminal law is to protect the public from harm by punishing harmful acts that have occurred and by seeking to avoid harm by prohibiting conduct that might lead to it” (Hemmens, Brody, and Spohn).,