capital offense

Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition

Noun: - A criminal act that is considered so severe or heinous that the law permits the imposition of the death penalty (capital punishment) as a possible sentence.

Usage
  • The term is used in legal contexts to classify the most serious crimes within a jurisdiction's penal code.
  • It is typically used with verbs like "be," "consider," "charge with," or "convict of."
  • Example: "Murder in the first degree is a capital offense in some states."
Examples
  • The prosecutor argued that the premeditated nature of the killing made it a capital offense.
  • In many countries, treason can be considered a capital offense.
  • The jury must decide whether the defendant is guilty of a capital offense.
Advanced Usage
  • The classification of what constitutes a capital offense varies significantly between different countries and legal systems.
  • The phrase "eligible for the death penalty" is often used in conjunction with discussions of capital offenses.
Variants and Related Words
  • Capital crime: A synonymous term.
  • Capital punishment: The penalty (death sentence) that may be applied for a capital offense.
  • Death penalty: Another term for capital punishment.
Synonyms
  • Capital crime
  • Crime punishable by death
Related Legal Phrases
  • Aggravating circumstances: Factors that may make a crime eligible to be treated as a capital offense.
  • Mitigating circumstances: Factors that may argue against imposing the death penalty for a capital offense.
Noun
  1. a crime so serious that capital punishment is considered appropriate