Final answer:
Theft in criminal law is equivalent to conversion in civil law, where conversion is the unauthorized and wrongful exercise of control over someone else's property leading to a civil lawsuit.The correct option is c.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question 'theft is to the criminal law as _______ is to the civil law' requires identifying a type of civil wrongdoing that is analogous to theft in criminal law. The correct answer is conversion, which in civil law refers to an act where one party illegally converts someone else's property for their own use without consent. In criminal law, theft involves the unauthorized taking of someone's property with the intent to deprive them of it permanently. Similarly, conversion is a civil wrong (tort) that involves interfering with another person's personal property rights, resulting in a lawsuit for damages.
It's important to note that while conversion and theft can seem similar, the key difference is that conversion pertains to civil disputes between private parties over property rights, whereas theft is a criminal offense prosecuted by the government.