What is the difference between civil and criminal law?

The main difference between them is: the criminal law deals with wrongs committed against the state, whereas civil law deals with disputes between private individuals (or companies etc). This affects the aims and outcomes of any disputes, Civil Law aims to seek a remedy to rectify any damage caused by one person to another (usually through payment of compensation). Criminal law on the other had seeks to punish an offender and in so doing deter others from committing the same crime, this is usually done through a loss of liberty (prison). The standards to find guilt (or liability in civil cases) are different, the standard in criminal cases is "beyond all reasonable doubt" compared to the lower "on the balance of probabilities". The higher standards in criminal cases reflects the higher potential loss to the defendant (their liberty).