Legal English for Criminal Law: Suspect, Defendant, Charge, and Conviction

Send us Fan Mail On the docket today, we discuss Legal English for criminal law and explain the difference between important terms such as suspect, defendant, charge, indictment, arraignment, conviction, acquittal, guilty plea, and verdict. These words are often used in news reports, legal dramas, textbooks, and professional discussions, but they do not mean the same thing. This episode explains how criminal law vocabulary changes at different stages of a case, why a person who has been arrested or charged should not automatically be called a criminal, and how the presumption of innocence affects careful legal communication. We also look at the difference between criminal and civil cases, how charges are formally brought, what happens at arraignment, and why being charged is very different from being convicted. Read the full Episode Brief:Get the transcript, Legal English Lexicon, key vocabulary, and further explanation for this episode here.  Free Legal English PDF:Download 10 Common Legal English Mistakes — and How to Avoid Them here.Learn more about 4 Legal English:Visit 4LegalEnglish.com to find more podcast episodes, Legal English lessons, free resources, and courses for international lawyers and law students.   For more about the podcast, go here. Have a question or topic suggestion? Send a text or voicemail through the link at the top of the show notes. I may answer it in a future episode.Join the global 4 Legal English conversation.The podcast now has listeners in 186 countries — and I would love to hear from you. Click Send Fan Mail at the top of the show notes to send a quick text message or voicemail. Tell me your first name, country, and question about Legal English, legal communication, or the U.S. legal system. Your question may be featured in a future episode. Join the global 4 Legal English conversation. The podcast now has listeners in 186 countries — and I would love to hear from you. Click Send Fan Mail at the top of the show notes to send a quick text message or voicemail. Tell me your first name, country, and question about Legal English, legal communication, or the U.S. legal system. Your question may be featured in a future episode. Support the show