Theme C Flashcards
Legal right
A right protected by law.
Case Law or Precedent
Once a decision has been made in court it becomes law in all future cases containing the same material facts and it must be followed by all lower courts.
Rule of law
A country is governed by law and all residents must obey the law. No one is above the law.
Civil Law
Covers disputes between individuals or groups. These cases are often about rights.
County court
A local court that has limited powers in civil cases.
Criminal law
This deals with offences such as murder or drug dealing. These cases are between the Crown Prosecution Service (acting for all citizens) and the offender.
Crown court
Courts held in towns in England and Wales where judges hear criminal cases.
High court
The court where judges hear cases on serious crimes.
Judge
A person who decides questions of law in a court.
Jury
A group of people who decide if someone is guilty in a court of law.
Magistrates’ Court
A court held before two or more public officers dealing with minor crimes.
Small Claims Court
A local court which hears civil cases involving small amounts of money.
Sue
To make a claim against someone or something.
Barrister
A lawyer who represents and speaks for their clients in court.
Judiciary
All the judges in the country.
Probation Officer
Someone who writes court reports on offenders and supervises them in the community.
Solicitor
A lawyer who gives legal advice and may speak for their clients in court.
Mitigating Factors
Reasons why an offender might be given a lighter sentence.
Recorder
A barrister or a solicitor of at least 10 years of experience who acts as a part time judge in a crown court.
Mediator
Acting as a go-between people in dispute in order to resolve a problem.
Ombudsman
An official who is appointed to investigate individual’s complaints against a company or an organisation.
Tribunals
These are set up to resolve certain types of dispute such as employment issues.
Community sentence
A sentence which allows people to continue to live the community under certain conditions.
Discharge
Not being sentenced for a minor crime, it can be conditional.
Restorative justice
A system of criminal justice which aims to rehabilitate offenders through meeting and talking to victims and the community.
Youth court
A court that deals with young offenders.
Youth Justice System
The part of the justice system that deals with young people.
Youth offenders
Offenders between the ages of 10 and 17
Office for National Statistics
The organisation that collects data about what is happening in the UK.
Reoffend
To commit a crime more than once.
Neighbourhood watch
A scheme in which members community take responsibility for keeping an eye on each other’s property to prevent crime.
Rehabilitation Programmes
Programmes which help people to overcome problems so they can avoid committing crimes in the future.
Arrested
A person who is arrested is held against their will because they are suspected of committing a crime.
Special Constable
A volunteer police officer.
