Charges are brought against defendants by the government.
Is that Civil or Criminal Law?

It's criminal law

Explanation:

The civil law is enforced when the charges are brought by private citizens to another private citizens.

Criminal law is enforced when the charges are brought by the government to private citizens.

Criminal law charges will only be given by the government if citizens are proven to possess a certain level of threats to other people, conducting psychical harm, destroying the properties of other, endangering health and safety of other people, along with disrupting their moral welfare.

Typically, the The punishment that incurred through criminal laws resulted in more prison time compared to the civil law.

the earthquake in haiti was a magnitude of 7.0 according to the u.s geological survey yet the smaller earthquake in haiti killed more than 200,000 and left more than 1.2 million people homeless. the chile earthquake was a magnitude of 8.8 and 500 times more stronger but chile's earthquake only injured 712 people.