Simple English definitions for legal terms
Read a random definition: Federal Protective Service
Balance of sentence suspended: When someone is found guilty of a crime and sent to jail, they may be given credit for the time they have already spent in custody before their trial. This means that they do not have to serve the full sentence and can be released from jail. This is called a balance of sentence suspended.
Definition: Balance of sentence suspended is a type of sentencing where a person who has been found guilty of a crime is sentenced to jail time, but the remaining sentence is suspended and the defendant is released from custody. The time already served before the trial is credited towards the sentence.
Example: John was sentenced to six months in jail for theft. However, he had already spent three months in jail before the trial. With the balance of sentence suspended, John was released from jail after serving the remaining three months.
Explanation: In this example, John was sentenced to six months in jail but had already served three months before the trial. With the balance of sentence suspended, John was released from jail after serving the remaining three months. This means that he did not have to serve the full six months in jail.