C. The fact of being prosecuted or sentenced twice for substantially the same offense.
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to pronunciationLegal Definition -
The fact of being prosecuted or sentenced twice for substantially the same offense. Black's Law Dictionary® Eighth Edition © 2004
Recent Usage -
THE ACT Government will consider dumping the long-held legal principle of "double jeopardy" that prevents a person being tried twice for the same crime. But some within ACT Labor want "double jeopardy" upheld and warn that prosecutors might mount frivolous prosecutions if they knew they could have a second try. A motion by ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell to give prosecutors a second option in certain circumstances was narrowly carried at yesterday's ACT Labor annual conference. The motion also called for prosecutors to be allowed to appeal against a sentence if it was outside the norm for that type of offence. Mr Corbell wants the law changed so that if a judge acquits a person, or directs a jury to do so, prosecutors can appeal against the acquittal if they think the judge has made a mistake. Cathy Alexander, The Canberra Times, July 29, 2007