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Simple English definitions for legal terms
cognate offense
Read a random definition: Clayton Act
A quick definition of cognate offense:
A cognate offense is when someone breaks the law by doing something that is considered a crime, even if it's a small one. It's also called a criminal offense. This can include taking something that doesn't belong to them or doing something that's not allowed. Sometimes, the punishment for a cognate offense is not as severe as for other crimes.
A more thorough explanation:
A cognate offense is a violation of the law, often a minor one, that is similar to another offense. It is also known as a criminal offense. The terms "crime," "offense," and "criminal offense" are often used interchangeably.
- Acquisitive offense: An offense that involves the unlawful appropriation of another person's property, such as larceny.
- Allied offense: A crime that has elements so similar to another crime that committing one automatically means committing the other.
- Anticipatory offense: An inchoate offense, which means an offense that has not yet been committed but is planned or attempted.
- Arrestable offense: In English law, an offense for which the punishment is fixed by law or for which a statute authorizes imprisonment for five years, or an attempt to commit such an offense.
These examples illustrate how cognate offenses can be similar to other offenses in terms of their elements, punishments, or attempts to commit them.