Crime & Law

20 words

1. 1

   mitigating circumstancescollocation/ˈmɪtɪɡeɪtɪŋ ˈsɜːkəmstɑːnsɪz/

   factors that make an offence seem less serious and may reduce the penalty

   “The judge took into account several mitigating circumstances before passing sentence.”

2. 2

   suspended sentencecollocation/səˈspendɪd ˈsentəns/

   a punishment that is not carried out unless the offender commits another offence during a set period

   “The judge gave him a suspended sentence because it was his first offence.”

3. 3

   presumption of innocencenoun phrase/prɪˈzʌmpʃən əv ɪˈnɒsəns/

   the legal principle that someone is considered innocent until proven guilty

   “The presumption of innocence is a cornerstone of criminal justice.”

4. 4

   burden of proofnoun phrase/ˈbɜːdən əv pruːf/

   the responsibility to prove a disputed assertion in court

   “In most criminal cases the burden of proof lies with the prosecution.”

5. 5

   due processnoun phrase/ˌdjuː ˈprəʊses/

   fair legal procedures that the state must follow when depriving a person of life, liberty, or property

   “The lawyer argued that his client had been denied due process.”

6. 6

   double jeopardynoun phrase/ˌdʌbəl ˈdʒepədi/

   the legal rule that prohibits trying a person twice for the same offence

   “Many constitutions protect citizens from double jeopardy.”

7. 7

   money launderingcollocation/ˈmʌni ˈlɔːndərɪŋ/

   the process of hiding the origins of illegally obtained money to make it appear legal

   “an international money laundering ring”

8. 8

   impose a sentencecollocation/ɪmˈpəʊz ə ˈsɛntəns/

   for a judge to officially give a punishment to someone found guilty

   “The judge imposed a five-year sentence for fraud.”

9. 9

   statute of limitationsnoun phrase/ˈstætʃuːt əv ˌlɪmɪˈteɪʃənz/

   the legally fixed time limit within which legal action must be taken

   “The victim could not sue because the statute of limitations had expired.”

10. 10

    obstruct justicecollocation/əbˈstrʌkt ˈdʒʌstɪs/

    to interfere with the legal process so that justice cannot be carried out properly

    “Destroying documents can amount to obstructing justice.”

11. 11

    take witness statementscollocation/teɪk ˈwɪtnəs ˈsteɪtmənts/

    to record what a witness says, usually by police or investigators

    “The officer took witness statements at the scene.”

12. 12

    conspiracy to commitcollocation/kənˈspɪrəsi tu kəˈmɪt/

    an agreement between two or more people to plan and carry out a crime

    “They were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.”

13. 13

    remand in custodycollocation/rɪˈmænd ɪn ˈkʌstədi/

    to keep someone in detention (jail) while waiting for trial or further legal action

    “After the hearing he was remanded in custody pending trial.”

14. 14

    search and seizurenoun phrase/sɜː(r)tʃ ənd sɪˈʒʊə(r)/

    the legal process of searching property and taking evidence, usually under a warrant

    “Search and seizure laws protect citizens from unreasonable intrusions by the state.”

15. 15

    suppress evidenceverb phrase/səˈprɛs ˈɛvɪdəns/

    to legally prevent certain evidence from being used in a trial

    “The defense moved to suppress evidence that had been seized without a warrant.”

16. 16

    house arrestnoun phrase/ˈhaʊs əˌrɛst/

    a form of detention where a person is confined to their home instead of prison

    “The judge sentenced him to six months' house arrest instead of jail.”

17. 17

    issue a subpoenaverb phrase/ˈɪʃuː ə səˈpiːnə/

    to officially order someone to appear in court or to provide documents

    “The prosecutor decided to issue a subpoena for the witness’s phone records.”

18. 18

    forfeit assetsverb phrase/ˈfɔːfɪt ˈæsɛts/

    to lose property or money because of a legal penalty, often because it was used in or obtained through crime

    “The court ordered the company to forfeit assets tied to the fraud scheme.”

19. 19

    be placed on probationverb phrase/biː ˈpleɪst ɒn prəˈbeɪʃən/

    to be allowed to live in the community under supervision instead of serving time in prison

    “Because it was his first offence, he was placed on probation for two years.”

20. 20

    declare a mistrialverb phrase/dɪˈkleə ə ˈmɪstraɪəl/

    to officially end a trial without a verdict because of a serious error or problem

    “The defense sought to declare a mistrial after juror misconduct was discovered.”