KEYWORDS

• Crime - conduct which is forbidden by the state and for which there is a punishment
• Defendant - a person defending a court action which has been taken against them. They are accused of a crime
• Victim - someone who has had a crime committed against them and may have suffered harm ( physically, mentally, emotionally) which was caused by a criminal offence
• Prosecution - the process of officially accusing someone in a court of committing a crime
• Defence - the name for the team of people (lawyers) against proceedings brought against someone. Defence doesn't need to prove the defendants innocence
• Acquitted - the jury, judge or sheriff made a decision in which you were found not guilty and legally blameless
• Prosecuted - when you are accused of committing a crime and you are being tried in court
• Quashed - a decision is quashed when a person of authority officially rejects it and no longer accepts it
• Upheld - if a court of law upholds a legal decision that has already been made, it decides that it was the correct decision - supports it
• Overruled - to set aside the decision of a court in an earlier case
• Burden of proof - the prosecution msut prove that the defendant is guilty
• Standard of proof - the extent to whcih the burden of proof must be made
• Reverse onus - shifting the burden of proof to the defendant