Essential Vocabulary for TOEFL - Crime and Punishment

the act of breaking a legal code

an act of crime in which someone physically attacks another person

an attempt to gather the facts of a matter such as a crime, incident, etc. to find out the truth

someone who is believed to be guilty of an offence

someone who does or is involved in an illegal activity

a person found guilty of a crime and sent to prison

to put someone in prison or keep them somewhere and not let them go

proof that indicates a person was somewhere other than the place where a crime took place and therefore could not have committed it

to admit, especially to the police or legal authorities, that one has committed a crime or has done something wrong

a personal account where someone openly admits to their mistakes or reveals private details about their life

to break an agreement, law, etc.

the crime of demanding money or benefits from someone by threatening to reveal secret or sensitive information about them

the act of using violence such as killing people, bombing, etc. to gain political power

the illegal act of purposefully damaging a property belonging to another person or organization

the act of taking someone against their will and imprisoning them

the illegal use of someone's name and personal information without their knowledge, particularly to gain money or goods

the act of cheating in order to make illegal money

seizure of a vehicle in transit either to rob it or divert it to an alternate destination

the crime of transporting or controlling people and forcing them to work in the sex trade or other forms of forced labor

the crime of taking goods from a store without paying for them

the action of stealing from a person's pocket or bag

the act of threatening someone or beating them in order to gain some money

the act of offering money to an authority to gain advantage

the killing of a criminal as punishment

the punishment in which an individual is made to stay in jail for the rest of their life, typically for committing a serious crime

the punishment that the court assigned for a guilty person

any act that is against a law

(of a crime, suicide, etc.) not done successfully

to catch an animal or a person and keep them as a prisoner

to give a severe punishment to someone who has committed a major crime

using one's power or authority to do illegal things for personal gain or financial benefit

to make someone pay a sum of money as punishment for violation of the law

a punishment that someone receives for violating a law, contract, etc.

a state in which a person is kept in jail or prison, particularly while waiting to be tried

someone held prisoner by a person or group who will be set free if the demands of that person or group are met

not having committed a wrongdoing or offense

having done something that is not legal offense