Civil cases are when the court is acting to resolve a dispute between two parties. If I sued you, it would be a civil case. Criminal cases are when a law is b

Civil cases are when the court is acting to resolve a dispute between two parties. If I sued you, it would be a civil case. Criminal cases are when a law is broken. Therefore, jaywalking is indeed a criminal offense, albeit a very minor one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_law_(common_law) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_law_(common_law) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_law