11 - 16s glossary

County court
A court used mostly for civil cases.

Court case
Criminal court cases attempt to decide whether a person accused of committing a crime is guilty or not. Civil court cases are attempts to resolve disputes between people/groups of people/organisations.

Courtroom
The room in which court cases are heard.

Criminal case
A court case that decides whether a person accused of committing a crime is guilty or not.

Criminal offence
An act or action that is against the law.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)
An organisation that pays compensation to victims of violent crimes.

Criminal record
Anyone sentenced for a crime will have a criminal record, even if they get an absolute discharge afterwards. However, some convictions become spent after a period of time. This means they are deleted from the database.