The following vocabulary is useful for understanding and discussing the people involved.
- Judge – the person responsible for deciding the punishment for a guilty person
- Defendant – the person in a trial who has been accused of a crime
- Prosecution – the people who are trying to prove that the defendant is guilty
- Jury – 12 people who attend a trial and then decide whether the accused person is innocent or guilty.
- Witness – people that are brought into a trial to give evidence (this can be for the defendant, against the defendant or simply to give factual evidence)
- Attorney / barrister – these are law professionals that will often be present in court, either defending or prosecuting a case.