What is the difference between a civil and criminal contempt in civil law?

In Kansas civil law, civil contempt and criminal contempt serve two distinct and separate purposes. Civil contempt is a tool to enforce court orders, as opposed to criminal contempt which is a punitive measure against someone who has been found guilty of violating a court order or the law. Civil contempt proceedings are used to compel a party to comply with a court’s orders. For instance, if a court orders a party to pay child support or a monetary penalty, civil contempt can be used to force compliance with the court’s order. The purpose of the proceeding is to enforce compliance with the court’s order, not to punish the party for violating it. In contrast, criminal contempt is used to punish someone who has violated a court order or the law. A criminal contempt proceeding is a criminal matter and the accused may be made to face criminal penalties such as fines and even jail time for the violation. A criminal contempt proceeding is meant to punish the transgressor and, as such, the accused has the right to be represented by an attorney and to present witnesses on his or her behalf. In short, the difference between civil and criminal contempt in civil law is that civil contempt is used to enforce a court order while criminal contempt is used to punish someone who has been found guilty of violating a court order or the law.

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What is the difference between a civil and criminal contempt in civil law?

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