CRIMINAL JUSTICE BILL, THE


Meaning of CRIMINAL JUSTICE BILL, THE in English

ˌCriminal ˈJustice ˌBill, the BrE AmE noun

a series of changes to British law in 1995, officially called the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, which changed the law concerning a person's right to silence (=their right to say nothing when the police ↑ arrest them, or when they are on trial in a court of law) , and also made the laws against squatting (↑ squat = living in a building without the owner's permission) and trespassing (↑ trespass = being on someone's land without their permission) much stricter. The more recent Criminal Justic Act 2003 allowed ↑ trial s without juries (↑ jury ) in cases where there is a risk of JURY-TAMPERING . It also give the police increased powers to stop and search people.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.