Definition

1. Noun:
   • The prosecution of a defendant for a criminal offense for which they have already been tried: A legal principle that prohibits a person from being tried or punished twice for the same offense. This protection is a fundamental right in many legal systems, notably enshrined in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Usage

• Noun:
  • The defense attorney argued that a new trial would constitute double jeopardy.
  • The principle of double jeopardy is a cornerstone of the American justice system, preventing the state from using its vast resources to wear down an acquitted defendant.

Advanced Usage

• "To be in/placed in double jeopardy": To be subjected to a second prosecution for the same offense.
  • After his acquittal, he cannot be placed in double jeopardy for that crime.
• "A double jeopardy clause/rule/protection": Referring to the specific legal provision that enforces this principle.
  • The case was dismissed based on the double jeopardy clause.

Variants and Related Words

• Jeopardy (noun): Danger of loss, harm, or failure. In a legal context, it specifically refers to the risk of conviction and punishment.
  • The defendant's life was in jeopardy during the trial.
• Jeopardize (verb): To put something or someone into a situation of risk or danger.
  • Revealing the source would jeopardize the entire investigation.

Synonyms

• Successive prosecution: A formal term for a subsequent trial for the same offense.
• Retrial for the same offense: A descriptive phrase for the act prohibited by double jeopardy.

Related Legal Concepts

• Acquittal (noun): A judgment that a defendant is not guilty of the crime they were charged with, which typically triggers double jeopardy protections.
  • His acquittal meant he was protected from double jeopardy.
• Autrefois acquit / Autrefois convict (noun): Legal doctrines (from French, meaning "formerly acquitted" and "formerly convicted") that are the common law precursors to the modern double jeopardy rule, barring trial for a crime of which one has already been acquitted or convicted.

Noun

1. the prosecution of a defendant for a criminal offense for which he has already been tried; prohibited in the fifth amendment to the United States Constitution