Law and Criminality: English Vocabulary List

to violently attack someone

"He will assault the guard."

"The man was arrested for trying to assault his neighbor with a dangerous weapon during a heated argument."

to forcefully take control of a vehicle, like an airplane, often to take hostages or change its course

"Terrorists hijacked the passenger plane."

"The terrorists planned to hijack a passenger plane and demand the release of their leader."

to take someone away and hold them in captivity, typically to demand something for their release

"The criminals planned to kidnap the child."

"The criminal planned to kidnap the wealthy businessman's daughter and demand a large ransom for her safe return."

to force someone to have sex against their will, particularly by using violence or threatening them

"The man was convicted for rape."

"The suspect was convicted of attempted rape and sentenced to fifteen years in prison without the possibility of parole."

to illegally copy, use, or sell someone else's work or product, such as a book, song, etc.

"Do not pirate music."

"It is illegal to pirate software and distribute it without proper licensing agreements from the developer."

to intentionally damage something, particularly public property

"Teens vandalized the park benches."

"The teenagers were arrested for trying to vandalize the school building by spray painting graffiti on the walls late at night."

the criminal act of setting something on fire, particularly a building

"Arson destroyed the old factory."

"Arson is the criminal act of deliberately setting fire to property"

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

"The spy used the secrets for emotional blackmail."

"Emotional blackmail is a dysfunctional dynamic where one person uses a sense of obligation"

the action of intentionally making a person believe something that is untrue

"His deception hurt many."

"The magician's act relied on deception and sleight of hand to fool the audience completely."

an illegal entry into a building by using force, particularly in order to steal something

"There was a break-in."

"The police are investigating a recent break-in at the jewelry store where several valuable items were stolen."

an amount of money or something of value given to someone in order to persuade them to do something that is illegal

"He took a bribe."

"The contractor offered a bribe to the inspector to overlook the building code violations."

the criminal act of making a copy of a document, money, etc. to do something illegal

"He committed forgery."

"The bank teller immediately recognized the signature on the check as a clear case of forgery."

a mass murder committed in order to destroy a particular nation, religious or ethnic group, or race

"Genocide is a terrible crime against humanity."

"The international community established laws to prevent genocide and punish those who commit such terrible crimes."

a cybercrime in which someone tricks another into revealing their personal or financial information such as their passwords or bank account numbers and then using this information to steal money from them

"The email was a phishing attempt to steal my password."

"A sophisticated phishing attack uses an email that looks identical to a legitimate message from a trusted company."

a person who deceives people to get their money

"The scammer took money."

"The scammer pretended to be a bank representative to trick elderly victims into giving account information."

a person who deceives or cheats people out of money

"The swindler stole their money."

"The swindler convinced investors to put money into a fake company that never existed."

an amount of money demanded or paid for the release of a person who is in captivity

"They paid the ransom."

"The kidnappers demanded a substantial ransom for the safe return of the abducted businessman."

a situation when a group of people behave violently, particularly as a protest

"The riot caused damage."

"The protest turned into a riot when demonstrators began smashing windows and setting cars on fire."

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

"He had a strong alibi because he was at work all day."

"The suspect claimed a strong alibi because he was at a family dinner with twenty relatives who could confirm he was nowhere near the crime scene."

someone who helps another to commit a crime or do a wrongdoing

"He was an accomplice too."

"The police arrested the driver of the getaway car as an accomplice to the robbery."

a person involved in a conspiracy

"The conspirator planned everything behind closed doors"

"The conspirator met secretly with others to plan the overthrow of the government."

someone who murders an important person for money or religious or political reasons

"The assassin escaped immediately after the attack"

"The assassin waited patiently on the rooftop for the target to appear below."

a robber who attacks travelers and is a member of a group of robbers

"The bandit robbed travelers near the forest"

"The bandit robbed travelers on the dangerous mountain pass for many years without getting caught."

a young person who commits a crime

"The juvenile delinquent attended counseling sessions regularly"

"The judge sentenced the juvenile delinquent to community service rather than sending him to prison."

the killing of a criminal as punishment

"Some countries still use capital punishment."

"Capital punishment remains a deeply controversial practice"

a mark made by the unique pattern of lines on the tip of a person's finger, can be used to find out who has committed a crime

"Police discovered a fingerprint near the window"

"The detective lifted a fingerprint from the glass which matched a known criminal in the database."

related to the use of scientific techniques when trying to know more about a crime

"The evidence is forensic."

"The forensic team collected DNA samples from the crime scene and the evidence helped the police identify the killer within days."

a legal arrangement in which a convicted offender is released under specific conditions instead of serving time in prison

"He was put on probation."

"The judge sentenced the young man to probation with mandatory community service hours."

a criminal hired to harm or threaten people

"The boss hired a goon."

"The nightclub owner hired a burly goon to ensure that unruly patrons were quickly removed from the premises."

a group of armed people who illegally kill supporters of an opposing political party or criminals

"The documentary exposed activities of a death squad"

"The dictatorship employed death squads to eliminate political opponents secretly without trial."

someone who faithfully supports a person in power and is willing to do things for them that are illegal or violent

"The criminal's henchman guarded the warehouse entrance"

"The villain's henchman carried out his dirty work while remaining loyal despite poor treatment."

a professional assassin, typically armed and employed to commit murder

"The businessman employed a hired gun secretly"

"The crime boss hired a hired gun to eliminate his rivals and secure his territory."

an individual who does immoral or violent things for money

"He was a gun for hire."

"The intelligence agency suspected that the assassin operating in the city was a notorious gun for hire."

a person who is skilled at shooting a gun and is hired to kill someone, used particularly in the past in the American Wild West

"The gunslinger was feared."

"The gunslinger walked into town with his hand resting on his holstered revolver."

the crime of using force to illegally enter a building

"He was charged with breaking and entering."

"The criminal was charged with breaking and entering after he broke into the store at night."

to sexually assault a person, especially women and children

"Do not abuse children."

"The investigation revealed that the trusted caregiver had been accused of attempting to abuse vulnerable patients."

to steal from someone by threatening them or using violence, particularly in a public place

"A thief tried to mug her."

"An elderly man was sadly mugged on his way home from work last night by two young men wearing hoodies."

an amount of money that must be paid as a legal punishment

"I had to pay a parking fine for overstaying."

"The driver had to pay a large fine for parking his car illegally in front of a fire hydrant."

to hide a small microphone in a place or device in order to secretly listen to or record someone's conversations

"They bugged the room."

"The detective suspected that the criminal might have bugged the office to listen to their private conversations."

a member of a group of criminals

"Movies often glamorize the dangerous gangster lifestyle"

"The gangster controlled illegal gambling operations throughout the city during the prohibition era."

the act of placing someone in prison or jail as a lawful penalty

"He was sentenced to life imprisonment."

"The judge sentenced the criminal to ten years of imprisonment for his many violent crimes."

a person who is held in a prison or correctional facility

"The inmate wrote a letter."

"An inmate is a person who is confined to an institution such as a prison"

a person found guilty of a crime and sent to prison

"The convict served ten years in prison"

"The escaped convict was recaptured within three days and returned to maximum security prison."

a formal statement made by a person admitting that they are guilty of a crime

"His confession shocked the entire courtroom"

"The suspect's confession was videotaped and later used as evidence during the trial."

to carefully examine something to check its condition or make sure it meets standards

"Inspectors inspect the factory for safety violations."

"The health inspector will inspect the restaurant's kitchen to ensure that it meets all safety and cleanliness standards."

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

"The officer is corrupt."

"The corrupt official accepted bribes from construction companies and he was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for his crimes."

the act of punishing a criminal by death

"The execution of the traitor was swift and brutal."

"The execution of the prisoner was carried out despite numerous appeals from international human rights groups."

(of police) to unexpectedly visit a person or place to arrest suspects or find illegal goods

"Police raid the illegal gambling den tonight."

"The police raided the apartment in the middle of the night looking for illegal drugs and weapons."

official information that indicates a person has committed a crime

"He has a criminal record."

"The detective reviewed the suspect's extensive criminal record before proceeding with the interrogation."

to identify or point out someone as the person responsible for committing a crime or wrongdoing, often to law enforcement or other authorities

"She fingers the suspect in the lineup."

"The witness was able to finger the suspect as the person who had committed the robbery."