criminal code

noun

, Law.

1. the aggregate of statutory enactments pertaining to criminal offenses.
2. a systematic and integrated statement of the rules and principles pertaining to criminal offenses.

Word History and Origins

Origin of criminal code¹

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

In certain prison camps, up to 80% of residents are confined under Article 228 of the Criminal Code – which bans certain narcotics – nicknamed “the peoples’ statute,” as more citizens are incarcerated for it than any other, many serving over ten year stints for first-time offenses.

From Salon

It was supposed to be the city’s new criminal code, revised in a painstaking 16-year process for the first time in a century, then passed by the council.

From Slate

Her empire began to unravel in 2004, when she was convicted of obstruction of justice charges in a heavily publicized trial — dubbed a “b— hunt” — that seemed to be as much about her personality as the criminal code.

From Los Angeles Times

But after his flat was searched in December of that year he was charged under the criminal code because he had already been convicted of a similar offence.

From BBC

“The so-called ‘political’ articles of the criminal code have become a very convenient way to resolve conflicts between neighbours,” suggests Anna’s lawyer Anastasia Pilipenko.

From BBC