Okuzeka
Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Sentencing & Punishment

Serve a sentence

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

phraseCommon term

In criminal law & justice, serve a sentence means: To spend the period of punishment that a court has ordered, especially time in prison.

In Turkish: cezasını çekmek, cezası infaz edilmek, hapis yatmak

How it is used

Common patterns: 'serve a five-year sentence', 'serve two years of a six-year sentence', 'serve the rest of the sentence in the community'. Informally people say 'serve time' or 'do time'.

Example sentences

  1. She is serving a seven-year sentence for fraud.

  2. Most prisoners serve only part of their sentence behind bars.

  3. After serving his sentence, he found work as a mechanic.

Common collocations

  • serve a prison sentence
  • serve time
  • serve the rest of a sentence
  • serve a life sentence
  • sentenceThe punishment that a judge gives a person who has been found guilty; as a verb, to give someone a particular punishment.
  • prisonA secure building where people are kept as punishment after a conviction or while they wait for their trial.
  • paroleEarly release of a prisoner before the end of the sentence, on condition that they obey certain rules; they can be sent back to prison if they do not.
  • inmateA person who is kept in a prison, whether they have been convicted or are waiting for trial.

More terms: Sentencing & Punishment

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.