In the criminal justice system, xxxually based crimes such as rape, torture, pedophilia and child-abuse are dealt with in New York City, by a special unit of the police department known as the Special Victims Unit. Its members include Detective Olivia Benson, herself the child of a rape, Detective Elliot Stabler, a family man trying to protect his family from the horrors of the world, Detective John Munch, a cynical ex-Baltimore homicide detective beginning a new life in New York, Detective Fin Tutuola, a streetwise cop from the Hood, and Captain Donald Cragen, their boss. The crimes they deal with are painful, emotional, disturbing, horrific and scarring - and every day there's more of the same... These are their stories.

The longest-running crime series in U.S. television history has made its way across the pond for a UK reworking. Series creator Dick Wolf has given Law & Order a makeover-for fans in the UK. Law & Order: UK sets out to retain the grittiness of the original series, but be uniquely British.The show commenced broadcast in 2009 and is not to be confused with the 1978 crime drama Law and Order.

"In the criminal justice system, xxxually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories."

"In the criminal justice system, xxxually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories."