The judicial aspect of government among the Urhobo places a clear distinction between civil and criminal offences which ensure justice to the parties concerned.

Police have speculated that the rapist is ashamed of his actions, perhaps explaining the long period that sometimes occurs between offences.

There was no distinction between civil and criminal offences.

As a matter of practical effect, some common differences between summary conviction and indictable offences are provided below.

There has to be some distinction made between offences, with the honest mistakes not being classed alongside the concious decisions of real criminals who chose to defy societies rules.

It is also important to establish valid and reliable methods of distinguishing between offenders and between offences.

For differences between indictable offences and summary offences see summary offences.

More frequent criminal offending led to more people being sentenced to imprisonment, although not pro-rata because of the distinction between indictable and non-indictable offences.

Since 1978, Canadian criminal law has recognized a distinction between offences of "strict" and "absolute" liability.

Since extended periods of time can lapse between offences being repeated, information on tendencies to commit such crimes should be kept on record over the long term.