Cengage Advantage Books: Business Law 9th Edition by Arnold Goldman ,William Sigismond

Exercise 10

A certain large city in the United States was caught up in civil unrest involving over 1,000 people. Violence broke out in several neighborhoods. People were firing guns into the air, and others, in an intoxicated state, were running up and down streets, yelling, screaming, cursing, smashing windows, looting stores, and stealing food from restaurants; still others were terrorizing people who lived in the various apartment buildings on these streets. Police admitted that the situation was out of control for several hours, but with the help of the riot squad, officers were able to made several arrests of individuals thought to be key leaders of the unrest. The individuals arrested were loaded into police vans and driven to various surrounding police precincts where they were booked on various charges.
Questions
1. Could a society exist without law?
2. What are the legitimate functions of law and were they violated in this example?
3. In this example, were most individuals charged under civil or criminal statutes?