A criminal case is a legal proceeding in which the state prosecutes an individual or entity accused of conduct defined as an offense under criminal law, with the objective of establishing guilt or innocence and, where guilt is proven, imposing a sanction. Unlike civil disputes between private parties, criminal cases…
A criminal case is a legal proceeding in which the state prosecutes an individual or entity accused of conduct defined as an offense under criminal law, with the objective of establishing guilt or innocence and, where guilt is proven, imposing a sanction. Unlike civil disputes between private parties, criminal cases are brought in the name of the public and require proof to a heightened standard, typically beyond reasonable doubt, reflecting the liberty interests at stake. The process moves through investigation, charging, pretrial procedure, trial, and, where applicable, sentencing and appeal, with procedural safeguards protecting the rights of the accused. From a forensic and criminological standpoint, criminal cases are significant as the setting in which scientific evidence is tested: physical, biological, and digital findings must be lawfully gathered, properly preserved, and clearly communicated to triers of fact. Contemporary scholarship gives particular attention to cybercrime and computer-enabled offenses, where prosecuting conduct such as unauthorized network intrusion, data theft, and digitally facilitated threats raises questions of jurisdiction, attribution, and electronic evidence handling. Case studies of cyber offenses illustrate how traditional doctrines of intent, harm, and proof adapt to networked technologies, and how criminological analysis of offender motivation and threat dynamics informs both prosecution strategy and broader crime-prevention policy.
5 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 5 articles above have been cited 5 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Criminal Cases, linking to each citing work.