Unit 4 Law and order
Reading
The rules of law
Have you ever wondered when and where the law originated? Around 12,000 years ago in the Middle East, small permanent farming communities were established,changing traditional nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Different groups were closely living together and dealing with unfamiliar behaviours, beliefs and attitudes. To prevent chaos and resolve conflicts, the rules of conduct and consequences for unacceptable behaviours were created. Hence, the concept of law was born.
Many ancient civilizations arose in the Middle East, so it is not surprising that law          codes first appeared there. The oldest discovered, the Code of Ur-Nammu, dates back to about 4,000 years ago. The code presented laws in the cause-and-effect format, a style used in nearly all later codes. Another one discovered, the Code of Hammurabi, was compo
sed around 300 years later, which is one of the longest, best-organized and best-preserved legal texts. This code was among the first to implement the concept “innocent until proven guilty”. Both codes have features in common. For instance, they treated a variety of matters,but often ignored some important rules, because such rules were deeply grounded in custom.
Over time, laws evolve to become more sophisticated and wide-ranging. Societies      constantly transform, so legal systems respond accordingly and ensure laws remain relevant. This response happens in various ways. Outdated laws are abolished when they no longer correspond with the values or moral beliefs of the current society. The most famous example is the abolition of slavery laws in certain countries during the 19th century. Current laws are amended when aspects of a crime change, such as becoming more serious or producing additional crime-related behaviour. In Australia, a law amendment makes workplace bullying amount to a criminal offence. Besides, new laws are made as new situations develop such as those created by advances in technology or changes in societal attitudes. For instance, the advent of the Internet and social media ha
s led to easier exchanges of information, and in turn has provided unauthorized access to personal data, so it is necessary to adopt a new law to strengthen the protection of online users’ private information.
Evolving laws may represent a progressive society, but legal systems tend to remain      relatively stable. Notably, global legal systems fall into categories that share similarities, and two main categories are civil law and common law. In the civil law system,laws are created by the country’s legislature. Many European countries adopt this legal system. In the common law system, some laws are created by the legislature, but most are based on published court decisions from previous court cases, which are then implemented in future similar situations. The Unites States, the United Kingdom and Australia are examples of the common law system.
The law plays an essential part in resolving conflicts, settling disputes and making rules that everyone must follow, yet it has limitations. As the law is not applicable to all situations, it is just one instrument to regulate society. Governments usually employ other
methods of social control to help society operate in a smooth and integrated fashion. Moreover, the law is not always ready or able to adapt to the constant changes in the society it serves. Because of its relative stability, it is unreasonable for the law to solve every newly emerging problem.unfamiliar
The law is more than just a set of rules as you have probably realized. It helps maintain security and stability in society, and its stable structure assists our societies to reach their full potential. The law is the compass that has guided humans from the first law-abiding communities to where we are today. As it continues to lead us into the future, the law will hopefully help us develop societies that are not just more harmonious but also more civilized.
Extended reading
The Red-Headed League
(Excerpt)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) was a Scottish writer, whose best-known fictional character is the private detective Sherlock Holmes. The detective has the habit of paying attention to the smallest and seemingly insignificant details, which inevitably leads to him solving many mysterious crimes. “The Red-Headed League”, narrated by Holmes’s friend, Dr Watson, tells the tale of a man with red hair who joins a club for red-headed men and thus unknowingly helps a crime take place.
“You see, Watson,” he explained in the early hours of the morning as we sat over a glass of whisky and soda in Baker Street, “it was perfectly obvious from the first that the only possible object of this rather fantastic business of the advertisement of the Red-Headed League, and the copying of the Encyclopaedia, must be to get Wilson, this not over-bright pawnbroker, out of the way for a number of hours every day. It was a curious way of managing it, but, really, it would be difficult to suggest a better way. The criminal Clay’s clever plan was most certainly inspired by the colour of his accomplice’s hair. The four pounds a week was used to attract him, and what was it to them, who were playing for thousands? They put in the advertisement; one criminal has the temporary office and the
other one convinces the man to apply for it. Together they manage to secure his absence every morning in the week. From the time that I heard of the assistant having come for half wages, it was obvious to me that he had some strong motive for securing the situation.”

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