Simple English definitions for legal terms
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De Bono Et Malo: A Latin term that means "for good and evil". In the past, it was used in two ways. Firstly, it was used by a criminal defendant to show full submission to the jury's verdict. Secondly, it was used as a special writ of jail delivery issued by the justices of assize to enable them to try all criminal defendants who were in jail where the court traveled. This was replaced by a general commission of jail delivery.
Definition: De bono et malo (dee boh-noh et mal-oh) is a Latin term that means "for good and evil." It has two historical meanings:
For example, a defendant who pleads guilty and asks the jury to decide their punishment is submitting themselves de bono et malo. They are accepting both the good (a lighter sentence) and the bad (a harsher sentence) consequences of the verdict.
Another example is the use of a writ de bono et malo to clear out a jail and try all the prisoners at once. This was more efficient than issuing separate writs for each prisoner.
Overall, de bono et malo was a legal term used to indicate a defendant's acceptance of both the good and bad consequences of a verdict, or to describe a writ that allowed for the efficient trial of all prisoners in a jail.