MS

en-noun

MS (countable and uncountable, plural MSes)

(criminology) Initialism of murder-suicide.


aggravated

en-adj

aggravated (comparative more aggravated, superlative most aggravated)

more aggravated (comparative)
most aggravated (superlative)

/ˈæɡ.ɹə.veɪ̯tɪd/

(criminology) Of or characterized by factors that increase the heinousness or offensiveness of the criminal offense.


felony

From Middle English felony, felonie, from Old French felonie (“evil, immoral deed”), from felon (“evildoer”). Ultimately of Proto-Germanic origin. More at felon.

der

Coordinate term: misdemeanor

Many experts have also expressed skepticism about the significance of this case and its legal underpinnings, which employed an unusual legal theory to seek a felony charge for what is more commonly a misdemeanor, and Mr. Trump will undoubtedly seek an appeal.

2024 May 30, The Editorial Board, “Donald Trump, Felon”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(law, criminology, US, historical in UK) A serious criminal offense, which, under United States federal law, is punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than one year or by the death penalty in the most serious offenses.


misdemeanor

Coordinate term: felony

(law, criminology, historical in UK) A lesser criminal act in most common law legal systems, generally punished less severely than a felony.


frame

en-verb

frame (third-person singular simple present frames, present participle framing, simple past and past participle framed)

frames (present singular third-person)
framing (participle present)
framed (participle past)
framed (past)

→ Dutch: frame

→ German: framen

From Middle English framen, fremen, fremmen (“to construct, build, strengthen, refresh, perform, execute, profit, avail”), from Old English framian, fremian, fremman (“to profit, avail, advance”), from Proto-West Germanic *frammjan, from Proto-Germanic *framjaną (“to further, promote, perform”), from Proto-Indo-European *promo- (“front, forward”).
Cognate with Low German framen (“to commit, effect”), Danish fremme (“to promote, further, perform”), Swedish främja (“to promote, encourage, foster”), Icelandic fremja (“to commit”). More at from.

cog

The gun had obviously been placed in her car in an effort to frame her.

(transitive, criminology) Conspire to falsely incriminate an innocent person.


blackout

en-noun

blackout (countable and uncountable, plural blackouts)

→ French: blackout

→ German: Blackout

→ Portuguese: blecaute

(slang, criminology, rare) A mass murder committed, usually in an urban area, to eliminate potential witnesses of a previous crime.


commute

en-verb

commute (third-person singular simple present commutes, present participle commuting, simple past and past participle commuted)

commutes (present singular third-person)
commuting (participle present)
commuted (participle past)
commuted (past)

заменям

to put or substitute something else in place of

1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, “The utmost that could be obtained was that her sentence should be commuted from burning to beheading.”, in Lady Trevelyan (Hannah More Macaulay), editor, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume V, London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, →OCLC:

His prison sentence was commuted to probation.

To exchange substantially; to abate but not abolish completely, a penalty, obligation, or payment in return for a great, single thing or an aggregate; to cash in; to lessen

(transitive, law, criminology) To reduce the sentence previously given for a criminal offense.


witness tampering

From witness + tampering. First use appears c. 1902 in the Indianapolis Sun.

(law, criminology) The act of attempting to improperly alter, influence or prevent the testimony of witnesses within civil or criminal proceedings.


set up

set up (third-person singular simple present sets up, present participle setting up, simple past and past participle set up)

sets up (present singular third-person)
setting up (participle present)
set up (participle past)
set up (past)

They claimed that they weren't selling drugs, but that they'd been set up by the police.

(informal, transitive, criminology) To trick or lure (someone) in order to entrap them.


identity theft

en-noun

identity theft (countable and uncountable, plural identity thefts)

(law, criminology) The deliberate assumption of another person's identity, usually to gain access to that person's finances or to frame a person for a crime.


tax evasion

(taxation, criminology) The illegal avoidance of paying tax, especially by making a false declaration of income etc.


trophy

→ Japanese: トロフィー (torofī)

→ Korean: 트로피 (teuropi)

→ Malayalam: ട്രോഫി (ṭrōphi)

From Middle French trophée, from Latin trophaeum (“a sign of victory, a monument”), tropaeum, from Ancient Greek τρόπαιον (trópaion, “monument of an enemy's defeat”), from neuter of τροπαῖος (tropaîos, “of defeat”), from τροπή (tropḗ, “a rout, a turning of an enemy”).

трафе́й

object taken by a hunter or conqueror of their success

(criminology, by extension) An object taken by a serial killer or rapist as a memento of the crime.


dark figure

In exploring the dark figure of crime, the primary question is not how much of it becomes revealed but rather what will be the selective properties of any particular innovation for its illumination.

1977, US Congressional House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime, Suspension of the National Crime Survey, page 15:

The dark figure concerning these criminal offences, is very high and the attitude towards reporting such cases is not constant.

1992, Hisao Katoh, Louise I. Shelley, Hisao Katō, Hans-Günther Heiland, Crime and Control in Comparative Perspectives, Walter de Gruyter, page 49:

By definition, they ignore the unreported “dark figure” of crime. We turn now to a second source of official crime data.

2000, Piers Beirne, James W. Messerschmidt, Criminology:

Arguing that the dark figure is larger, perhaps very large (“The cases we know about are just the tip of the iceberg!”), makes any estimate seem possible, even reasonable.

2012, Joel Best, Damned Lies and Statistics […] , University of California Press, →ISBN, page 37:

(criminology, statistics) The estimated number of unreported criminal cases.


crime of passion

en-noun

crime of passion (plural crimes of passion)

There was this boy I sent to the gas chamber at Huntsville here a while back. My arrest and my testimony. He killed a fourteen-year-old girl. Papers said it was a crime of passion but he told me there wasn't any passion to it. Told me that he'd been planning to kill somebody for about as long as he could remember. Said that if they turned him out he'd do it again.

2007, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men (motion picture), spoken by Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones):

(law, criminology) A crime, typically a violent crime such as assault or murder, committed against a loved one because of sudden jealous rage or heartbreak rather than as a premeditated act.

crim passional

crime against a loved one because of jealous rage or heartbreak


rehabilitate

en-verb

rehabilitate (third-person singular simple present rehabilitates, present participle rehabilitating, simple past and past participle rehabilitated)

rehabilitates (present singular third-person)
rehabilitating (participle present)
rehabilitated (participle past)
rehabilitated (past)

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin rehabilitātus, perfect passive participle of Latin rehabilitō.

lbor

(transitive, criminology) To restore to (a criminal etc.) the necessary training and education to allow for a successful reintegration into society; to retrain.


child abuse

Coordinate term: elder abuse

(criminology) Physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment of a child that causes long-term or permanent damage.


fruit machine

From fruit + machine.
* (slot machine): From originating with machines with fruit pictures
* (criminology): From being a machine used to identify fruits (“homosexuals”)
* (food): From being a machine containing fruits

(Canada, criminology, slang) A device developed to identify homosexual people by measuring their physical responses to different kinds of pornography.


sexual slavery

(criminology) A criminal activity that involves forced sexual acts upon a person who is usually held hostage as a slave.


murder-suicide

Pladl, pictured, ended up killing his daughter, his baby and himself in a triple murder-suicide[.]

2018 November 26, Emma Parry, “Woman who fell in love with her brother tells how she’s on a mission to legalise INCEST, allow family members to marry and even have babies together”, in The Sun:

(criminology) A murder in which the killer subsequently commits suicide.


jugging

en-noun

jugging (countable and uncountable, plural juggings)

(slang, criminology) A crime where a suspect observes a customer at a bank or high-end store and then follows the customer after they leave the establishment in order to steal their money or valuables.


inside job

... while the police are calling it an inside job just because the old lady's nephew teaches a Bible class.

1908, O. Henry, The Complete Works of O. Henry [pseud.].: The gentle grafter, page 142:

It seems to me it must have been what the police at home call "an inside job"; because whoever it was apparently knew the combination of the safe.

1921, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter 10, in Alias The Lone Wolf:

In Britain, where the British BeeKeepers Association (BBKA) has been urging members to microchip their hives for some time, the continuing mystery and the belief that the crimes are inside jobs are taking their toll.

2017 September 23, “From north Wales to Norfolk, distraught beekeepers ask: who’s stealing our hives?”, in The Observer:

(idiomatic, criminology) A crime or other illicit action committed by or with the assistance of someone either having a relationship with a victim or entrusted with access to the victim's affairs and premises.


rap sheet

From RAP (“record of arrest and prosecution”) + sheet.

af

Three counts of breaking and entering, four counts of assault, seven misdemeanors for carrying illegal substances, and a partridge in a pear tree,” Paul finished with a smirk, handing the rap sheet to Mason.

Seeking a new approach, he applied for an editor position at the Earth First! Journal, an environmental newsletter in Eugene, Ore. His application included a copy of his rap sheet; he was hired immediately.

2022 May 26, Matthew Wolfe, “The Rise and Fall of America’s Environmentalist Underground”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(US, law, criminology) A printed police record of an individual's citations, arrests, convictions, and incarcerations, usually in a single jurisdiction.


assaultive

This man is not only very very sick, but I believe he is definitely a Potential Assaultive.

1962, Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, New York: Signet, page 134:

Extreme assaultives were operationally defined as those who were convicted of murder, manslaughter, or attempted murder. Moderate assaultives included persons convicted of wounding with intent to cause serious bodily harm, malicious or unlawful wounding, and assault.

1980, Curt R. Bartol, chapter 8, in Criminal Behavior: A Psychosocial Approach,, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, page 223:

(psychiatry, criminology) A person who assaults others.


advance fee scam

en-noun

advance fee scam (plural advance fee scams)

(criminology) A consumer fraud that involves obtaining a relatively small amount of money from the victim in advance of some large deferred benefit, such as a job, a high rate of return, or a share of embezzled money.


close in

en-verb

close in (third-person singular simple present closes in, present participle closing in, simple past and past participle closed in)

closes in (present singular third-person)
closing in (participle present)
closed in (participle past)
closed in (past)

The police were closing in on the thieves.

(intransitive, law enforcement, criminology) To come or approach nearer to someone being pursued.


vice squad

(law enforcement, criminology) A police section specialized in vice crimes.


fit up

fit up (third-person singular simple present fits up, present participle fitting up, simple past and past participle fitted up)

fits up (present singular third-person)
fitting up (participle present)
fitted up (participle past)
fitted up (past)

The gun was placed in her car in an effort to fit her up.

(criminology, slang) Conspire to incriminate falsely a presumably innocent person.


hesitation wound

en-noun

hesitation wound (plural hesitation wounds)

(pathology, criminology) Any of a series of shallow cuts made by a person considering a suicide attempt, or trying out the weapon to ascertain its effectiveness.


come forward

en-verb

come forward (third-person singular simple present comes forward, present participle coming forward, simple past came forward, past participle come forward)

comes forward (present singular third-person)
coming forward (participle present)
came forward (past)
come forward (participle past)

I’m coming forward to publicly share my own story in the hope that I can encourage others to do the same and help tear down the wall of silence that perpetuates further abuse.

2014 August 29, Ruzwana Bashir, “The untold story of how a culture of shame perpetuates abuse. I know, I was a victim”, in The Guardian:

(intransitive, idiomatic, law, criminology) To offer help or information, especially about a crime.


home invasion

(law, criminology) An assault on the possessor(s) of a household committed by an intruder by using forced entry or otherwise having unauthorized presence in the household.


broken windows theory

After article propounding the theory by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling, “Broken Windows”, Atlantic Monthly (March 1982).

Clark disliked the general state of unshavenness, partly for aesthetic reasons and partly because he was a believer in the broken-windows theory of urban-crime management, the way the appearance of dereliction can pave the way for more serious crimes.

2014, Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven, Picador (2022), page 249:

(criminology) A criminological theory stating that signs of urban decay (e.g. broken windows, graffiti) signal that an area is not monitored, encouraging more destructive criminal behavior.


signaletic

en-adj

signaletic (comparative more signaletic, superlative most signaletic)

more signaletic (comparative)
most signaletic (superlative)

The wording of the legislation was somewhat open-ended in that it authorized not only the Bertillon signaletic system, but also "any measurements, processes or operations sanctioned by the Governor in Council having the like object in view."

1996, Louis A. Knafla, Criminal Justice History: An International Annual:

(criminology, historical) Related to or involving the Bertillon system of anthropometry.


child molester

(all slang)

Is there available for distribution a copy of your essay on the subject of "The Menace of the Child Molester", which has been published in connection with a work of non-fiction […]

1967, Extent of Subversion in Campus Disorders, page 336:

(criminology) Someone who has committed an act of child molestation; someone who has sexually abused a minor.

児童性虐待者

じどうせいぎゃくたいしゃ


street gang

(law, criminology, sociology) An organized group of lower-class criminals; an urban gang.


confidential informant

en-noun

confidential informant (plural confidential informants)

(law, law enforcement, criminology) An individual who secretly provides information to the police about wrongdoing which they are aware of due to the individual's relationship to the wrongdoer.

indic

person who secretly provides information to the police


blue light bandit

blue light bandit (plural blue light bandits)

(criminology) Someone with criminal intentions who impersonates a police officer on the road using a vehicle that has been modified to appear to be a patrol car.


crime rate

(law, criminology) A measure of incidences of crime in a given area, especially in comparison to its population.


cementochronology

(anthropology, paleodemography, criminology) A method for assessing age at death and determining season at death based on the annulation (formation of rings) in tooth cementum.


home invader

(law, criminology) Someone who commits a home invasion.


porch pirate

After Bohlan's home security system recorded a porch pirate stealing packages from his doorstep, he reported the theft to the police department...and volunteered his own doorstep as a place where police could leave "bait" packages to catch porch pirates.

2018, Uncle John's Actual and Factual Bathroom Reader, page 271:

2019 November 1, Lauren Smiley, “The Porch Pirate of Potrero Hill Can’t Believe It Came to This”, in The Atlantic:

(slang, criminology, neologism) A criminal who steals a delivered package from a porch.


flash rob

(criminology) A form of organized theft in which a group of people enter a shop en masse and steal merchandise, while the employees are overwhelmed by sheer numbers.


person unknown

(law, criminology) An individual yet to identified.


serial rapist

(criminology) Someone who commits multiple rapes, whether with multiple victims or a single victim repeatedly over a period of time.


fingerprint powder

fingerprint powder (plural fingerprint powders)

The stairs were dusted with fingerprint powder, and immediately, a clear impression of a running shoe was evident.

2001, Forensic Files, "Frozen Evidence" (season 6, episode 8)

(criminology) Any fine powder used in dusting for fingerprints by crime scene investigators and others in law enforcement.


criminal scientist

criminal scientist (plural criminal scientists)

(criminology) Synonym of crime scientist


crime science

(criminology) The study of crime in order to find ways to prevent it.


crime scientist

crime scientist (plural crime scientists)

(criminology) Someone who studies crime science, especially someone who does so professionally.


victim impact statement

victim impact statement (plural victim impact statements)

(law, criminology) A written or oral statement by the victim, or the relatives of the victim of a crime, made as part of the judicial process to convey the impact that the crime has had upon the victim or their relatives.


case the joint

en-verb

case the joint (third-person singular simple present cases the joint, present participle casing the joint, simple past and past participle cased the joint)

cases the joint (present singular third-person)
casing the joint (participle present)
cased the joint (participle past)
cased the joint (past)

(idiomatic, slang, criminology) To thoroughly observe or examine a place, in order to familiarize oneself with its workings in preparation for criminal activity, often robbery.


phrogging

(slang, criminology) The act of secretly living in another person’s home without authorization.


phrog

(slang, criminology) A person who secretly lives in another’s home without authorization.


child abuser

(criminology) A person guilty of child abuse; someone who has abused a minor.


signaletics

(criminology, historical) The Bertillon system of anthropometry.


follow-home

(law, criminology) Referring to a crime in which the perpetrator follows the victim to their place of residence.


photo pack

(law, criminology) A collection of photographs to be shown sequentially to a witness, conducted by a police officer or detective who does not know the identity of the suspect.


outside job

From outside + job, by analogy with inside job.

The resource officer suspected the rape incident at our high school coffee shop was an outside job.

(idiomatic, criminology, humorous, sarcastic) A crime or other illicit action committed by an individual not connected or associated with the premises or organization in which it took place.


odometer fraud

(law, criminology, automotive) The illegal practice of rolling back an odometer to make it appear that a vehicle has lower mileage than it actually does.


white-collar criminal

en-noun

white-collar criminal (plural white-collar criminals)

(business, law, criminology) An individual who partakes in, or has been convicted of, a white-collar crime.


drug cartel

(criminology) A criminal organization consisting of independent druglords who collude with each other in order to improve their profits and dominate the illegal drug trade.


nonaggravated

In making this determination, we look to the evidence pertaining only to the element of aggravated robbery that distinguishes it from nonaggravated robbery.

1997, West's South Eastern Reporter, page 680:

Making nonaggravated sexual assault a strict liability crime means, in effect, that even if it would be completely impossible and unreasonable for the man to believe that the woman was engaging in the sexual act against her will (or, perhaps, that she thought the sex was insufficiently "communicative"), he would still be convicted.

2010, Leslie Francis, Date Rape: Feminism, Philosophy, and the Law, page 120:

However, repeated nonaggravated assault against a family member was considered a criminal offense and punishable by up to 360 hours of community service, a maximum of one year of forced labor, or a maximum of two years in prison.

2019, Kathleen Nadeau, Sangita Rayamajhi, Women and Violence: Global Lives in Focus, page 76:

(criminology) Not aggravated; not including factors such as violence, deadly weapons, drugs, including additional offenses, etc. that make the criminal offense more heinous or offensive.


jury tampering

From jury + tampering. First use appears c. 1871 in the New York Herald.

(law, criminology) The crime of unduly attempting to influence the composition or decisions of a jury during the course of a trial.


cooling time

cooling time (countable and uncountable, plural cooling times)

(law, criminology) The amount of time required for an individual to calm down and think clearly after being seriously provoked, allowing the individual to consider the consequences of their actions in order to make a rational decision.


maximum holding time

maximum holding time (countable and uncountable, plural maximum holding times)

(law, criminology) The greatest amount of time in which a sample may be stored between sampling and the commencement of analysis and still be considered a valid sample for compliance testing.


time of occurrence

time of occurrence (countable and uncountable, plural times of occurrence)

(law, criminology, forensic science) An event, such as the time of death or the time of incident, that is crucial to a death investigation.


gain time

gain time (countable and uncountable, plural gain times)

(law, criminology) A reduction of a prisoner’s sentence due to exemplary behavior or participation in a rehabilitation program during incarceration.


advance fee fraud

(criminology) Any type of fraud involving an advance fee scam.


rape alarm

From rape + alarm. First use appears c. 1977 in the Los Angeles Times.

(informal, criminology) A portable alarm which, when activated, emits a shrill sound, alerting others that the user is in danger of rape or assault.


identity broker

identity broker (plural identity brokers)

(law, criminology, uncommon) A service or other intermediary that provides a client with a means of forming or constructing a new identity, usually a false one.


stolen goods

(law, criminology) Any goods or other property that have been obtained, carried off, or abstracted by means of a crime.


right to silence

right to silence (plural rights to silence)

(law, criminology) A legal principle guaranteeing any individual the right to refuse to answer questions from law enforcement officers or court officials.


elder abuse

Coordinate term: child abuse

(criminology) Physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment of an elderly person.


check washing

(law, criminology) The process of erasing details from a check to allow it to be rewritten, usually for criminal purposes such as fraudulent withdrawal from the victim's bank account.


forcible entry

forcible entry (plural forcible entries)

(law, criminology) The unlawful seizure of the possession of real property by force or threats of force or an unlawful entry into or onto another's property, especially when accompanied by force.


tickle the wire

en-verb

tickle the wire (third-person singular simple present tickles the wire, present participle tickling the wire, simple past and past participle tickled the wire)

tickles the wire (present singular third-person)
tickling the wire (participle present)
tickled the wire (participle past)
tickled the wire (past)

(criminology, law enforcement, idiomatic) To create a situation that will encourage the target of a criminal probe to speak and divulge information on a wiretapped telephone.


paper tripping

The information of the European Common Market has created a paper-tripping paradise.

At one time, false documents were commonly referred to as simply fake IDs, and the act of passing oneself off as another character was known as paper tripping.

2012, Hank Prunckun, Henry W. Prunckun, Counterintelligence Theory and Practice, page 114:

Garnet explains in fine detail to Candice that, back in the day, it was possible to change your identification successfully but it was illegal. They called it paper tripping and it is still illegal today.

2013, Kirby Edwards, Carry Your Name - Drive Your Purpose, page 63:

Paper tripping, also known as ghosting, is a form of identity theft in a person stealing the identity of a specific deceased person.

2022, Antonio Brown, How To Disappear For Beginners, page 85:

(criminology, dated, uncommon) A form of identity theft in which a person illicitly obtains a new identity, usually by assuming the identity of a deceased person.


run someone's file

run someone's file (third-person singular simple present runs someone's file, present participle running someone's file, simple past ran someone's file, past participle run someone's file)

runs someone's file (present singular third-person)
running someone's file (participle present)
ran someone's file (past)
run someone's file (participle past)

(informal, idiomatic, criminology) To search through someone's criminal record.


evidence-gathering

(computing, criminology) The collection of potential evidence, which may be present in computer or network logs, on deprecated websites, or the collection of data that is forensically extracted from a computer hard drive.


kill kit

(crime, criminology) A collection of items, often including duct tape, rope, handcuffs, knives, and guns, usually kept out of sight, and used by criminals to commit a murder, or other violent act.


police record

(law, criminology) A file held by the police, containing a record of the past crimes of which someone has been suspected of or convicted.