CRIME VOCABULARY

Legislation: A law or set of laws suggested by a government and made official by a parliament.

Sentence: There needs to be changes to crime-related legislation.

Deter: To make someone less enthusiastic about doing something by threatening bad results if they do it.

Sentence: Tougher prison sentences may be a deterrent to other would-be offenders.

Offender: Someone who is guilty of a crime.

Sentence: Prison should not be used for first-time offenders.

Punish: To cause someone who has done something wrong or committed a crime to suffer, by hurting them, forcing them to pay money, sending them to prison, etc

Sentence: Those responsible for serious crimes must be punished.

Prevention: When you stop something from happening or stop someone from doing something.

Sentence: The government should focus on the prevention of crime rather than introducing harsher prison sentences.

Commit: To do something illegal or something that is considered wrong.

Sentence: People who commit serious crimes should be given lengthy (long) prison sentences.

Criminal: A person who commits a crime.

Sentence: Criminals who commit violent crimes should not be given probation.

Probation: A period of time when a criminal must behave well and not commit any more crimes in order to avoid being sent to prison.

Sentence: Probation is a good way to reduce prison overcrowding, but it must only be used for those who have committed minor crimes.

Rehabilitate: To return someone or something to a good or healthy condition, state or way of living.

Sentence: It is important to rehabilitate criminals while they are in prison otherwise they may re-offend (commit a crime again) when they are released from prison.

Guilt: Having done something wrong or committed a crime.

Sentence: If jurors (the members of a jury) find a defendant guilty, then that person must be punished

Imprisonment: Being put in prison.

Sentence: Murderers are usually given life imprisonment.