Crime & Law Vocabulary Quiz
12 multiple-choice questions on types of crime, legal roles, courtroom terms and the criminal justice system. B1 level. Great for general English learners and IELTS preparation.
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Crime & Law — FAQ
A suspect is a person the police believe may have committed a crime but who has not yet been charged. A defendant is a person who has been formally charged with a crime and is on trial in court. The timeline goes: suspect → defendant (after being charged) → convict (if found guilty).
'Innocent until proven guilty' (the presumption of innocence) is a fundamental legal principle. It means a person accused of a crime must be treated as innocent unless the prosecution proves their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The burden of proof lies with the prosecution, not the defendant.
Burglary is the crime of illegally entering a building with the intention of committing a crime inside, especially theft. Robbery is stealing from a person directly, usually using force or the threat of force. Breaking into an empty house is burglary; mugging someone on the street is robbery.
A jury is a group of ordinary citizens (usually 12 in the UK and USA) who listen to the evidence in a criminal trial and decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. The jury delivers a verdict. The judge then decides the sentence if the defendant is found guilty.
Key crime vocabulary: theft (stealing), burglary (breaking in to steal), robbery (stealing with force), fraud (deception for financial gain), assault (attacking someone), murder (intentional killing), manslaughter (unintentional killing), arson (setting fire to property), kidnapping, smuggling, vandalism (deliberate damage), and bribery (offering money to influence someone).
Murder is the unlawful and intentional killing of another person — it requires the intention to kill or cause serious harm. Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of a person without the intention to kill, covering situations of extreme negligence or provocation. Murder carries harsher sentences because of the element of intent.
Courtroom vocabulary: judge (presides over the trial), jury (decides guilt), barrister/lawyer (represents parties), prosecutor (argues for guilt), defence (argues for the defendant), witness, oath (formal promise to tell the truth), evidence, testimony (spoken evidence), verdict (guilty or not guilty), sentence (punishment), acquittal (found not guilty), and appeal (request for a higher court to review the decision).
Being 'on bail' means a person charged with a crime is temporarily released from custody before their trial, on the condition they will return to court on the specified date. Sometimes a sum of money (bail money) must be deposited as a guarantee. If the person fails to appear, they forfeit the money and may be re-arrested.
In British English, 'prison' is the standard term for a place where convicted criminals serve their sentences. 'Jail' is used more informally. In American English, 'jail' typically refers to local short-term detention facilities, while 'prison' refers to state or federal facilities for longer sentences. In British English both words are commonly used interchangeably.
Common crime idioms: 'get away with murder' (escape serious consequences), 'take the law into your own hands' (deal with something illegally), 'caught red-handed' (caught in the act), 'the long arm of the law' (the power of the police), 'behind bars' (in prison), 'do time' (serve a prison sentence), and 'turn a blind eye' (deliberately ignore something wrong).