Law

Arson is the act of deliberately setting on fire either someone else's house or other belongings, or your own house or belongings, usually because you want to claim insurance. In most countries, arson is a crime.

A gavel is a small wooden hammer that is used by judges to make a loud noise to bring a court to attention. Gavels are sometimes used by other official public speakers for the same reason.

The Government is a group of people who decide on the rules and laws that apply to the people living in a particular area. Governments administer all the paperwork related to running that area.

A jail is another word for a prison. People who have done something wrong are locked in jail as a punishment.

A judge is someone who is in charge of a court of law, and listens to all sides of a court case, when someone has been accused of doing something bad. Judges also decide what punishment will be given to someone who is found guilty.

Outside of a law court, a judge is someone who decides who will win a competition, such as a sports game, a pet show, or an art competition.

A police officer (or policeman, policewoman or just police) is someone who makes sure that other people are obeying the law, and catches people who aren't.

Some police officers ride horses. Horses can go places that cars and motorbikes cannot go, because horses can step over holes or things on the ground and jump fences and vehicles can't.

A prison, also called a jail, gaol or penitentiary, is a place where people who have done bad things are locked up as a punishment. Some people can be put in jail for many, many years because they have done something very, very bad.

A punishment is something that is given to you when you do something wrong, by breaking rules or the law. Punishments can range from being fined some money, to being smacked to being put to death.

Punishments are always unpleasant, and usually are tailored to fit the crime.

The opposite of punishment is reward.

A reward is something you get given if you do something well. Rewards are often given to encourage people to do something good.

People often offer rewards for information or for the return of something, for example they might post offering a reward for the return of a lost pet.

The opposite of reward is punishment.

A rule is something that tells you how you are expected to behave. Rules can be written down, or just something you are expected to know. Some rules are enforced by punishments. A set of rules that affects everyone in a large area is called the law.