Talk about Crime and the Judicial System in French

7 Comments

Last Updated: June 5, 2023

Follow Us Now

Learn French on Your Own with…

Sign up below to get started:

Let’s talk about law and justice. Whether your exposure to the world of crime is limited to suspense television shows and action books, or you’re the more hands-on, living-on-the-edge type (oh, you little rebel!), law talk always appears every now and then.

And of course, big words like this need to be interpreted perfectly, otherwise, horrible misunderstandings could well land you somewhere undesirable.

So for this vocabulary list, we give you some useful French words related to law, justice, and crimes. Who knows, this might come handy sometime soon. If it doesn’t, then simply bask in the knowledge that you know these law words – in French.

Crime, law and justice

Get this list in PDF format

Without further ado, here's the vocabulary list for law, justice, and crime in French!

CrimeLe crime
OffenceL’infraction (f)
Offence, crimeLe délit
Fine, parking ticketLa contravention
Hardened criminalLe criminel endurci
Attack, assault, muggingL’agression (f)
AssailantUn agresseur
To mugAgresser
To stabPoignarder
ManslaughterL’homicide involontaire (m)
MurderLe meurtre /L’assassinat (m)
MurdererLe meurtrier/la meurtrière / L’assassin/l’assassine
RapeLe viol
RapistLe violeur
To abductEnlever
KidnappingL’enlèvement (m)
AbductionLe rapt
KidnapperLe kidnappeur/la kidnappeuse
KidnapperLe ravisseur/la ravisseuse
HostageL’otage (m/f)
RansomLa rançon
BurglaryLe cambriolage
BurglarLe cambrioleur
To lootPiller / Mettre à sac
Hold upLe hold-up (m)
GangsterLe gangster
RobberyLe vol avec violences
BriberyLa corruption
Open to briberyCorruptible
BribeLe pot de vin
BlackmailLe chantage
To blackmailFaire chanter / Soudoyer
ExtortionL’extorsion (f)
FraudLa fraude
Drug pusherLe revendeur de drogues
Drug traffickingLe trafic de drogues
PoliceLa Police
Police stationLe poste de police
Emergency servicesLa police-secours
Traffic policeLes agents de circulation (m)
Plain-clothes policemanLe policer/la policière en civil
Police dogLe chien policier
Inquiry, investigationL’enquête (f)/ Les recherches (f)
InterrogationL’interrogatoire (m)
Private detectiveLe détective privé
IdentificationLa pièce d’identité
Lost property officeLe bureau des objets trouvés
JusticeLa justice
TrialLe procès
Public prosecutorLe procureur
MagistrateLe magistrat
JuryLe jury
JurorLe/la juré(e)
LawyerLe/la juriste
LawyerL’avocat/l’avocate
SolicitorLe notaire
IndictmentL’inculpation (f)
DefendantL’accusé(e)
ProofLa preuve
EvidenceLes preuves (f)
PlaintiffLe/la poursuivant(e)
WitnessLe témoin
To plead guiltyPlaider coupable
To plead not guiltyPlaider non coupable
To make a statementFaire une déclaration
To make a testimonyFaire une déposition
StatementLe constat
Confession L’aveu (m)
To chargeInculper
To appealInterjeter l'appel
Court of appealLa cour d’appel
La cautionBail
L’acquittement (m)Acquittal
AcquitterTo acquit
To dischargeRelaxer
To be found guiltyEtre reconnu coupable
DetentionLa détention
PardonLa grâce
imprisonmentL’incarcération (f)

Please tell us in the comment section if there are some French vocabulary topics that you would like to review.

P.S. You would be doing me a HUGE FAVOR by sharing it via Twitter, Facebook, Google + or Pinterest.

Speak, Listen, and Write French like a Native with a Talk in French Membership

  • Learn French on your own terms with our comprehensive, self-paced beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses, each with a step-by-step plan tailored to your level. 
  • Master French pronunciation and sound like a native with our pronunciation course.
  • Receive personalized feedback and guidance from a dedicated French teacher.

Speak, Listen, and Write French like a Native with a Talk in French Membership

  • Learn French on your own terms with our comprehensive, self-paced beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses, each with a step-by-step plan tailored to your level. 
  • Master French pronunciation and sound like a native with our pronunciation course.
  • Receive personalized feedback and guidance from a dedicated French teacher.

About the author 

Frederic Bibard is the founder of Talk in French, a company that helps french learners to practice and improve their french. Macaron addict. Jacques Audiard fan. You can contact him on Instagram

  • Bonjour Fréderic – j’adore votre website. Apropos, il y a une faute en anglais dans la phrase que vous avez écrite ‘Please consider to buy my vocabulary ebook and support Talk in French as the same time’: ça devait être ‘at the same time’.

  • Oui, votre website est excellent! Ces phrases seront tres utiles pour ma prochaine visite en France….ou peut etre pas. 🙂 J’adore la photo

  • {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

    >

    Get our Free French Study Guide

    The ultimate (& free) roadmap to master the French language. Save countless hours of ineffective study. Designed to keep your motivation high.