Absolute discharge
A term from the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice (APP), reproduced under the Open Government Licence with a link back to the authoritative source.
Definition
A discharge where no penalty is imposed.
This definition is drawn from the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice. For the full operational guidance and current wording, read it at source.
Related terms
Acquittal
A formal decision that someone is not guilty of a criminal charge.
Adversarial
The court sits in independent arbitration between the prosecution and the defence.
Bad character evidence
Evidence of, or a disposition towards, misconduct on the part of the defendant.
Community sentence
A court-imposed sentence combining punishment with community-based activities.
Conditional discharge
A court discharge of an offender, subject to certain conditions.
Custodial sentence
A sentence where the offender is confined to a prison.
Definition reproduced from the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See the source link above for the authoritative, current wording.