voc english criminology

jail

A place of detention where individuals are held either while awaiting trial or serving short sentences, typically for misdemeanors or lesser offenses.

prison

A facility that houses individuals who have been convicted of serious crimes, typically, serving longer sentences.

bail

A sum of money or form of property that is deposited to a court to ensure that the accused will return for their trial after being released from custody.

probation

An alternative to imprisonment allowing a person found guilty of an offense to stay in the community, often under conditions and some kind of supervision

recidivism

The tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend

forensics

Scientific methods and techniques to investigate crimes, especially in relation to the recovery and analysis of physical evidence.

cold case

An investigation that has not been solved after considerable time but remains "on the books" and may be reopened if new evidence appears or techniques of investigation become available.

convict

A person found guilty of a criminal offense and sentenced to punishment, such as imprisonment.

felon

A person who has been convicted of a serious crime and usually faces more severe penalties than those convicted of misdemeanors.

acquittal

The legal outcome of a trial where the defendant is found not guilty of the charges, resulting in their release from liability.

to be complicit

in involvement with the criminal activities of another person, often leading to legal liability.

accomplice

A person who assists another in committing a crime, either by helping them directly or aiding them in planning and executing illegal acts.

penalize

To subject someone to a punishment or penalty for a crime or wrongdoing, often involving fines, imprisonment, or other legal consequences.

the prosecution

is the legal party responsible for presenting the case against an individual accused of a crime in a court of law.

subpoena

A legal document that orders an individual to appear in court or produce evidence for a legal proceeding.

affidavit

a written statement confirmed by oath, used as evidence in court.

prosecutor

The legal representative of the prosecution who presents the case against the accused in a court of law.

defendant

An individual accused of a crime in a court of law, who is entitled to defend themselves against the charges.

dark figure

a term that describes the amount of unreported or undiscovered crime

unfathomable

impossible to understand (adjective)

bias

a tendency to allow personal opinions cloud your judgement

index

something which shows how strong or common a condition or feeling is

electorate

all the people who are allowed to vote

intelligence

secret information

progenitor

a person who first thinks of something and then causes it to happen

disparagingly

in a critical and disrespectful way (adverb)

inimical

harmful or limiting

joyriding

The action or practice of driving fast and dangerously in a stolen car for enjoyment.

fraud

Criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.

slander

The action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation.

libel

The action or crime of publishing a false statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation.

arson

The criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property.

burglary

Illegal entry of a building with intent to commit a crime, especially theft.

rape

The crime of having sex with someone against their wishes.

indecent assault

Sexual assault that does not involve rape.

stabbing

An act or instance of wounding or killing someone with a knife

murder

The unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.

mugging

An act of attacking and robbing someone in a public place.

pickpocketing

The crime of stealing things out of people's pockets or bags, especially in a crowd.

shoplifting

The action of stealing goods from a shop while pretending to be a customer; the illegal act of taking goods from a shop without paying for them

robbery

The crime of stealing from somewhere or someone, accomplished through the use of physical force or fear.

theft

The action or crime of stealing; any unauthorized taking of property from another with the intent to permanently deprive that person of the property.

defamation

a more general term for any kind of injury to the reputation of another person

homocide

murder

manslaughter

killing with the intent to murder, but where a partial defence applies, namely loss of control, diminished responsibility or killing following a suicide pact

infanticide

the crime of killing a child

sexual assault

seksuele aanranding

wouldn’t hurt a fly

expression is used to say that a person would never harm
anybody else

shared custody

When the parents of a child are separated but both have legal
responsibility for the care of their child

slump

a noun to describe a downward trend

fluctuate

a verb to describe a period of variability in the trend

even out

a verb to describe a return to a constant trend after a period of
variability

suspect

a person thought to be guilty of a crime or offence

principal suspect

the main person thought to be guilty of a crime or offence

sentenced

having received the punishment decided for (an offender)

offences commited

mistakes, crimes or immoral acts perpetrated or carried out

plea

a formal statement by or on behalf of a defendant or prisoner, stating guilt or innocence in response to a charge, offering an allegation of fact, or claiming that a point of law should apply

fine

an amount of money that has to be paid as a punishment for not obeying a rule or law

ministry of justice

A ministerial department that works to protect the public and reduce reoffending, and to provide a more effective, transparent and responsive criminal justice system for victims and the public.

out of court disposal

An arrangement or settlement done outside a judicial proceeding.

Court proceedings

Action taken in a court to settle a dispute.

under supervision

being watched over (someone) in the interest of their or others' security.

order

A command, instruction, or direction by the court or by a judge intended to adjudicate some point or to direct some step in a legal proceeding.

Serving (shorter) sentences

Spend a period in prison as the punishment assigned to a defendant found guilty by a court, or fixed by law for a particular offence.

community sentence

If you’re convicted of a crime by a court but are not sent to prison.

Suspended (prison) sentence

is carried out in the community. If the person breaks the conditions of their sentence they can be sent to prison.

The probation service

A service responsible for the supervision of offenders on probation and the care of accused persons and discharged prisoners.

The judiciary

The judicial authorities of a country; judges collectively.

review

A piece of writing that describes the main facts in a
piece of academic research (= detailed study of a subject) that you
have read, and gives your opinion of it.

contentious

Causing , involving, or likely to cause disagreement and argument.

to assess

To judge or decide the amount, value, quality, or importance of
something.

annual

happening every once a year

discrepancy

A difference between two things that should be the same.

database

A large amount of information stored in a computer system in such a
way that it can be easily looked at or changed.

nexus

An important connection between the parts of a system or a group
of things.

aggregate

Being the total amount of something after all the figures or points
have been added together

synthesis

The act of combining different ideas or things to make a whole that
is new and different from the items considered separately.

salience

The fact of being important to or connected with what is happening
or being discussed.

quantitative

Relating to numbers or amounts / relating to an amount that can be
measured.

substantially

To a large degree

empirical

Based on what is experienced or seen rather than on theory.

to summarize

to express the most important facts or ideas about something or
someone in a short and clear form.

variable

A number, amount, or situation that can change

criterion

A standard by which you judge, decide about, or deal with
something.

significant

Large enough to be noticeable or have noticeable effects.

analysis

The act of studying or examining something in detail, in order to
discover or understand more about it

Police brutality

Unlawful or excessive use of force by law enforcement officers.

Racial injustice

Unfair treatment of people based on their race or ethnicity

Racial trope

A conventional and overused theme or portrayal involving race, often reinforcing stereotypes or clichéd ideas about a particular racial or ethnic group.

bias

Prejudice in favour of or against a person or group compared to another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

Abolitionist

Someone advocating for the complete elimination of something

Qualified immunity

Legal rule that protects government officials from personal responsibility for actions performed in the course of their duties.

Use of force

The application of physical effort to compel compliance by an unwilling subject.

Blue wall of silence

Unspoken, informal code among police officers not to report on a colleague’s misconduct.

uptick

increase in the number or amount of something

took to the streets

express opposition to something in public

aftermath

the period that follows an unpleasant event or accident, and the effects it causes

root

cause or origin of something bad

crux

the most important or serious part of a matter, problem

double-down

continue doing something in an even more determined way than before