Which statement best describes the Penal Code?

• A. It is a collection of criminal and civil statutes defining offenses, penalties, and civil remedies.
• B. It is a set of municipal ordinances.
• C. It concerns only penalties.
• D. It contains only civil remedies.

Answer: (A)

The Penal Code serves as the organized collection of statutes that defines crimes and the punishments that follow. In many jurisdictions, it also covers related civil consequences that can accompany criminal acts, such as restitution or other civil remedies tied to crime. That combination—criminal offenses defined, the penalties prescribed, and the potential civil remedies connected to those acts—best captures what the Penal Code does. It’s broader than municipal ordinances, which govern local rules rather than the overall state or national criminal law; it isn’t limited to just penalties, because it also specifies what constitutes an offense; and it isn’t only about civil remedies, since its primary purpose is to codify criminal offenses and their punishments, with civil implications typically arising as a related part of the same framework.