MLchartDataset catalogue

Special circumstances

Term · Law · MLC-T-LAW-004606

A set of facts or conditions in a criminal case that, if proven true, elevate the severity of a crime and allow for a harsher penalty. In capital cases, the presence of special circumstances is a prerequisite for prosecutors to seek the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole. Examples include murder for financial gain, murder of a police officer, or murder involving torture.

Table 1. Record
IdentifierMLC-T-LAW-004606
FieldLaw
Record as JSON 
{
  "id": "MLC-T-LAW-004606",
  "term": "Special circumstances",
  "field": "Law",
  "definition": "A set of facts or conditions in a criminal case that, if proven true, elevate the severity of a crime and allow for a harsher penalty. In capital cases, the presence of special circumstances is a prerequisite for prosecutors to seek the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole. Examples include murder for financial gain, murder of a police officer, or murder involving torture.",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/law/special-circumstances/"
}

Record 4,695 of 5,445 in Law terminology (MLC-0107). Request the full dataset.