Unit 3

Word

Definition

Example

accused

a person who is charged with committing a crime.

The accused said she was home alone all evening, but of course it was impossible to be sure.

evidence

facts or information that show whether something is true or not.

There was very little evidence against him, so the police released him.

fine

money that someone must pay as punishment for breaking a law.

You'll get a fine if they catch you on the train without a ticket.

guilty

responsible for doing something wrong or illegal.

The thief was guilty because his fingerprints matched the ones found at the crime scene.

imprisonment

the act of putting someone in prison as punishment.

He got life imprisonment for the robbery and his wife got two years for not telling the police what she knew.

judge

the person in court who controls the trial and decides on punishments.

The judge delivered the final sentence after the accused was found guilty by the jury.

jury

a group of people in court who decide if the accused is guilty or not.

I'd love to be on a jury – I think it would be really interesting to be in a court and see how it works.

justice

fair treatment and the use of laws to judge people's actions.

In some parts of the world it's very hard to get justice, particularly if you are in a minority group.

trial

a legal process in court to decide if someone is guilty or innocent.

The trial lasted for four months and then, because of a problem, they had to stop and start again.

verdict

the decision made by a judge or jury in a trial.

We have no idea what the verdict will be – it's impossible to predict what might happen.

victim

a person who has been hurt or affected by a crime or accident.

We could hardly understand the victim in court because he was crying and in such distress.

beat up

hit or kick sb many times to hurt them

They beat him up and stole his phone, but he'll be all right.

break in

enter a building in order to steal sth

The thieves broke in by smashing a window.

come forward

offer help or information

A young man came forward to help the police with their investigation.

get away with

manage to do sth bad without being punished

How did they get away with robbing the bank?

hold up

steal from sb by threatening violence, usually with a weapon

The robbers held up a bank in the city centre yesterday.

let off

give sb little or no punishment

I can't believe you let him off with just a warning!

turn in

tell the police about sb

His mother found stolen goods in his car so she turned him in.

crime lab

a place where police scientists study evidence from crimes.

The fingerprint results should be back from the crime lab soon.

crime prevention

actions or programs that try to stop crimes before they happen.

We had a chat at school about crime prevention.

crime rate

the number of crimes that happen in a place over a period of time.

The crime rate around here has fallen dramatically.

crime scene

the place where a crime happened.

Members of the public were kept away from the crime scene.

crime wave

a sudden increase in the number of crimes in an area.

The police have promised to tackle the recent crime wave.

hate crime

a crime done because of dislike or prejudice against a group (for example, because of race or religion).

They said that the attack on the disabled man was a hate crime.

organised crime

serious crime planned and done by groups of professional criminals.

Large gangs are responsible for a lot of organised crime.

petty crime

a small or minor crime, like stealing something cheap.

After a life of petty crime, Ethan found himself in jail.

youth crime

crimes committed by young people.

Do you think boredom is the cause of a lot of youth crime?

burgle

to break into a building or house and steal things.

Someone tried to burgle the house while the owners were on holiday.

grow

to become bigger, older, or develop over time.

Children grow very quickly during their first few years.

prevent

to stop something from happening.

Regular exercise can help prevent many health problems.

satisfy

to make someone happy or pleased by meeting their needs or wishes.

The meal was delicious and really satisfied my hunger.

shock

to surprise or upset someone suddenly.

The news of the accident shocked everyone in the office.

understand

to know the meaning of something or why it happens.

I didn't understand the instructions, so I asked the teacher for help.

vandal

a person who damages or destroys property on purpose.

The police caught the vandals who had painted graffiti on the walls.

young

having lived or existed for only a short time; not old.

When I was young, I wanted to travel around the world.