sentencing
Declaring the penalty
Sentencing is the phase of criminal proceedings where a judge determines punishment after a conviction.
The judge considers factors like the severity of the crime, the defendant's history, and sentencing guidelines: The sentencing is scheduled for next month.
Sentencing can also refer to the act more broadly: mandatory sentencing, sentencing reform.
Confinement in jail
- prisonConfinement for offenders
- jailDetention facility
- probationSupervised trial period
- paroleConditional early release
fine · restitution · community service · house arrest · electronic monitoring · mandatory minimum · death penalty · time served
Judicial proceedings chamber
- judgeOne who decides
- trialJudicial examination of claims
- gavelSmall ceremonial hammer
- benchShared seating surface
magistrate · tribunal · docket · prosecution · defense · arraignment · plea · hearing
Firmly held belief
- guiltyResponsible for wrongdoing
- acquittalFormal clearing of charges
- juryLegal decision-making body
- deliberationCareful weighing of choices
testimony · evidence · indictment · plea bargain · finding · unanimous · foreman · judgment
Required by rule
- discretionarySubject to personal judgment
- federalDivided governmental authority
- stateCondition or mode
- mitigatingReducing harm or severity
aggravating · departure · range · grid · recommendation · precedent · statute · proportionality
Measurable difference between things
- biasUnfair inclination or prejudice
- racialConcerning ethnic origin
- overcrowdingCapacity exceeded dangerously
- mass incarcerationExcessive imprisonment at scale
restorative justice · rehabilitation · recidivism · advocacy · clemency · commutation · abolition · alternatives
incarceration
Confinement in jail
parole · fine · restitution · community service · house arrest · electronic monitoring · mandatory minimum · death penalty · time served · concurrent
courtroom
Judicial proceedings chamber
bench · magistrate · tribunal · docket · prosecution · defense · arraignment · plea · hearing · ruling
conviction
Firmly held belief
deliberation · testimony · evidence · indictment · plea bargain · finding · unanimous · foreman · judgment · determination
mandatory
Required by rule
- discretionarySubject to personal judgment
- federalDivided governmental authority
- stateCondition or mode
mitigating · aggravating · departure · range · grid · recommendation · precedent · statute · proportionality · uniformity
disparity
Measurable difference between things
- biasUnfair inclination or prejudice
- racialConcerning ethnic origin
- overcrowdingCapacity exceeded dangerously
mass incarceration · restorative justice · rehabilitation · recidivism · advocacy · clemency · commutation · abolition · alternatives · decriminalization
- Courtroom Proceedingstestimony, cross-examination, opening statement, closing argument, objection
- court dutiesjury duty, testimony, oath taking, verdict, deliberation
- courtroom ritualsoath, swearing in, all rise, opening statements, closing arguments
- trial systemsjury trial, bench trial, grand jury, criminal trial, civil trial
- courtroomjudge, jury, oath taking, lawyer, bench
- courtroom expressionsobjection, sustained, overruled, all rise, guilty
sentencingacquitting
Declaring legally innocent
acquittal · exonerating · exoneration · absolving · releasing
sentencingrewarding
Providing satisfaction or benefit
commending · honoring · praising · compensating · restitution
sentencingarraigning
Formally charging in court
arraignment · charging · indicting · arresting · booking
- sentencing lawsStatutes governing criminal penalties
- sentencing hearingCourt session determining punishment
- criminal sentencingAssigning punishment after conviction
- mandatory sentencingLegally required punishment terms
- drug sentencingPenalties for substance offenses
- sentencing reformAltering criminal punishment guidelines