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7[[quoteright:350:[[Film/{{Talvar}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1000008117.jpg]]]]
8[[caption-width-right:350:[[Series/BetterCallSaul Let justice be done, though the heavens fall.]]]]
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13->''"Justice is justly represented Blind, because she sees no Difference in the Parties concerned. She has but one Scale and Weight, for Rich and Poor, Great and Small."''
14-->-- '''William Penn''', ''Some Fruits of Solitude in Reflections and Maxims''
15
16Tropes regarding the depiction of law, crime, and justice in works of fiction.
17
18----
19!!Tropes:
20[[foldercontrol]]
21
22[[index]]
23[[folder:'''Media genres''']]
24+ BuddyCopShow: TV shows about a pair of cops working together.
25+ ConspiracyThriller: Characters undercover a conspiracy, which almost always involves crime.
26+ CopShow: Television series about police officers.
27+ CrimeAndPunishmentSeries: Television series about law and crime.
28+ CrimeFiction: Written literature about law and crime.
29+ CrimeReconstruction: A dramatized reenactment of a specific real-life crime.
30+ CrimeTimeSoap: A drama that focuses on the police's personal lives as much as their careers with solving crimes.
31+ CriminalProcedural: Fiction that revolves around criminals and their illegal affairs.
32+ DetectiveDrama: Stories that star some sort of detective (who may or may not be a member of the police) trying to crack a case.
33+ ForensicDrama: The story focuses on a police forensics unit analyzing physical evidence from a crime scene.
34+ GangsterFiction: Fiction that revolves around gangsters, mobsters, and organized crime.
35+ HistoricalDetectiveFiction: A detective tale in some sort of {{historical|Fiction}} [[PeriodPiece setting]].
36+ HoodFilm: A SubGenre about inner-city {{gangbangers}}.
37+ LawProcedural: Fiction that revolves around judges and lawyers handling legal cases in the courtroom.
38+ MysteryFiction: Stories that revolve around the investigation of some sort of perplexing mystery (usually an unsolved crime).
39+ NordicNoir: A genre of Scandinavian crime fiction.
40+ PoliceProcedural: Fiction that revolves around law enforcement officers trying to pursue criminals.
41+ TrueCrime: Non-fiction media about real-life crimes, though some aspects may have been {{dramatiz|ation}}ed.
42[[/folder]]
43
44[[folder:'''Trope categories ''']]
45[[AC:General/miscellaneous trope indexes]]
46+ AuthorityTropes: Tropes about people who hold the power to make new laws or rules, along with anyone who enforces these rules by punishing any violators.
47+ CivilUnrestTropes: Tropes about sociopolitical disorder caused by common citizens (il)legally defying the governmental authorities; ranging from peaceful protests and civil disobedience, to violent riots and armed rebellions, which can often be responded with harsh crackdowns by law enforcement and the judicial system.
48+ EspionageTropes: Tropes about the act of spying. This includes domestic espionage by law enforcement agencies infiltrating or surveilling criminal groups for police investigations; along with international espionage by various (civilian/military) intelligence agencies, which is extremely illegal if one is caught engaging in such activities on behalf of a foreign government (especially an enemy power in times of conflict).
49+ HelpHelpThisIndexIsBeingRepressed: Tropes about when human rights are violated by oppressive authority figures, who may decide that everyone they don't like are just criminals who deserve to be treated as harshly as they can get away with.
50+ HumanRightsIssues: Tropes about civil/human rights, freedoms and liberties, which may be legally protected or restricted as the government deems fit.
51+ MoralityTropes: Tropes about how morally right (or wrong) it is to obey (or disobey) the laws and rules of society.
52+ ARestrainedIndex: Tropes about restraints and physically restraining people, which often constitutes either a crime or a punishment for one.
53+ RebelTropes: Tropes about people who defy the authorities and their laws or rules, including but not limited to outright illegal or criminal acts.
54+ RevengeTropes: Tropes about vengeance, which can often be a motive for anyone who feels they have been somehow wronged to engage in (il)legal retaliation against their enemies.
55+ ScrewThisIndexIHaveTropes: For one reason or another, these people act like laws and rules don't actually apply to them, perhaps because they may hold special privileges.
56+ ViolenceTropes: Tropes about (il)legal violence in general; whether done by the authorities, criminals, or their victims defending themselves.
57----
58[[AC:Law enforcement, judicial and penal systems]]
59+ ArtisticLicenseLaw: Tropes about [[HollywoodLaw inaccurate depictions of the law and judicial system]].
60+ BanishmentTropes: Tropes about whenever someone has been denied permission to enter, kicked out and expelled, or banned from returning to a specific location; often as punishment for violating that place's laws or rules (or because the local authorities just really dislike that person and never wanted their presence).
61+ CensorshipTropes: Tropes about official restrictions placed on the media or the personal expression of one's opinions, which may sometimes be legally enforced and prosecuted through the government's laws or policies.
62+ CopsAndDetectives: Tropes about law enforcement / police officers, and other people whose job is to apprehend suspected criminals and/or to investigate crime cases.
63+ TheCourtroomIndex: Tropes about judges, lawyers, defendants, plaintiffs, jurors, and witnesses interacting in any sort of trial in a court of law.
64+ ForensicPhlebotinum: Tropes about various tools that can be used to help solve crimes.
65+ MysteryTropes: Tropes about the investigation of unsolved crimes or other confusing matters.
66+ PerpSweating: Tropes about how the authorities interrogate suspects accused of crimes (whether nonviolently or [[ATorturedIndex otherwise]]).
67+ PrisonTropes: Tropes about detention facilities that are designed to hold people who have been accused and/or convicted of crimes in captivity.
68----
69[[AC:Criminal activities, perpetrators and victims]]
70+ BetrayalTropes: Tropes about backstabbing and treachery, which are rather [[NoHonorAmongThieves common behaviors amongst dishonest criminals]]. This index may also cover treason, which is the crime of betraying one's allegiance to their country or government.
71+ TheCon: Tropes about confidence tricks, frauds and scams, and [[ConMan the people who commit them]].
72+ {{Criminals}}: Tropes about all kinds of people who violate the law.
73+ GamblingTropes: Tropes about activities which involve recreationally betting and risking money, which are illegal (or at least heavily regulated) in most places around the world.
74+ HiredGuns: Tropes about mercenaries and guns-for-hire, who often engage in criminal activity, especially murder, in exchange for payment.
75+ TheOldestProfession: Tropes about pimping, prostitution, and the exchange of sexual acts for profit, which are illegal (or at least heavily regulated) in most places around the world.
76+ OrganizedCrimeTropes: Tropes about gangsters and mobsters, or any career criminals who are members of a larger group or organization, which engage in illegal activities mostly for monetary profit.
77+ PirateTropes: Tropes about outlaws who engage in piracy, which are any crimes committed on water instead of land.
78+ SmugglingIndex: Tropes about the crimes of smuggling and trafficking, or the secret transportation of illegal goods.
79+ StealThisIndex: Tropes about the crime of property theft and the thieves who do it.
80+ ThisIsYourIndexOnDrugs: Tropes about the production, trafficking, sale, and usage of various recreational substances that are illegal (or at least heavily regulated) in most places around the world.
81+ VandalismTropes: Tropes about damaging or destroying any property that doesn't belong to you.
82+ VictimhoodTropes: Tropes about people who are at the receiving end of crimes.
83----
84[[AC:{{Violence|Tropes}} (both legal and illegal)]]
85+ AbuseTropes: Tropes about various forms of mental and/or physical torment (especially, but not limited to, domestic violence among families).
86+ ChildAbuseTropes: Tropes about abuse against children by their parents or other adults.
87+ DisposingOfABody: Tropes about hiding the bodies of murder victims to avoid getting in trouble for their deaths.
88+ GenocideTropes: Tropes about the systematic, targeted mass murder of large groups of people, which in modern times is considered to be a very serious war crime / crime against humanity.
89+ IHaveYourIndex: Tropes about the crime of abduction, kidnapping people, and holding them hostage (often for ransom or other demands).
90+ MurderTropes: Tropes about the crime of homicide, or the unlawful killing of another person.
91+ MurderInTheFamily: Tropes about the act of killing one's own kin, which is the most extreme form of domestic violence.
92+ PublicExecution: Tropes about capital punishment or the death penalty, which means killing prisoners convicted of capital crimes. Note that this practice has been legally abolished in many countries, but other jurisdictions may still sentence criminals to death.
93+ SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes: Tropes about various forms of sexual abuse and assault.
94+ TerrorismTropes: Tropes about violent crimes that are primarily motivated by political ideology.
95+ ThreateningTropes: Tropes about the use of threats of violence to intimidate and coerce others.
96+ ATorturedIndex: Tropes about painfully harming people as a method of interrogation, punishment, or just plain sadism. The legality of (state-sanctioned) torture committed by authority figures varies by jurisdiction, but torture done by legally unprotected criminals is obviously always illegal.
97[[/folder]]
98
99[[folder:Tropes (A-F)]]
100* AbsenceOfEvidence: A conspicuous lack of material evidence proves to be a vital clue for solving the crime case.
101* AbsurdlyPowerfulSchoolJurisdiction: Schools can discipline students for what they do outside the campus.
102* AbusiveParents: Certain forms of parental abuse can be illegal.
103* AccidentalKidnapping
104* AccidentalTheft: Stealing something by mistake without intent.
105* AccidentNotMurder: An accidental death is mistaken for homicide.
106* AccompliceByInaction: Wanting to make someone pay for not helping you when criminals harmed you.
107* AcquittedTooLate: An innocent person has been sentenced to death but doesn't have their name cleared until after they've already been executed.
108* AdvanceNoticeCrime: A criminal announces a crime before committing it.
109* AfterActionVillainAnalysis
110* TheAlibi: A suspect explains why they couldn't have been around at the scene of the crime and/or couldn't possibly have committed the crime.
111* AllCrimesAreEqual: Every crime gets the same punishment regardless of how severe it truly is.
112* AloneWithThePsycho
113* AlternatePersonalityPunishment
114* AlwaysGetsHisMan: A cop, detective, or vigilante who boasts that they always succeed in capturing the criminal they pursue.
115* AndroidsAndDetectives
116* AppealToForce: Someone uses the fallacy that they can use force to get their way.
117* AmateurSleuth
118* AmbiguousCriminalHistory: Someone heavily implies they have committed a serious crime(s) in the past, but it's never explained.
119* AmbulanceChaser: A lawyer who eagerly chases after potential clients who have been recently injured.
120* AmoralAttorney: A lawyer who is dishonest and unethical.
121* AmputativeSentencing: A criminal is punished by having a limb or appendage cut off.
122* AnonymousKillerNarrator
123* ArmedBlag
124* ArrestedForHeroism: [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished Getting in trouble just for trying to do the right thing]].
125* AssholeVictim: When a victim of crime deserves their fate because they were very unpleasant and unsympathetic, and not because of their actions coming back to bite them.
126* AtonementDetective
127* AuditThreat
128* AutopsySnackTime
129* BabyBeMine: Someone kidnaps a baby due to being unable to have one of their own or feeling too attached.
130* BackfireOnTheWitnessStand: A witness is called to the stand, but their testimony hurts the side that called them in.
131* BadCopIncompetentCop
132* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: Certain forms of animal cruelty are illegal depending on the circumstances and jurisdiction. Especially if animals are harmed or killed by methods or for reasons which fall outside of legally approved euthunization, hunting or slaughter.
133* BailEqualsFreedom: Fiction depicts paying or pledging a bail as being the same as paying a fine. Once the bail has been paid, the prisoner is free to go.
134* BankRobbery: When one or more thieves rob a banking firm, whether through armed intimidation or stealthier methods.
135* BannedInChina: When a work of media is officially outlawed in a certain country, and one may get into legal trouble if they attempt to obtain, possess, or distribute it.
136* BathroomControl: A character is not allowed to go to the bathroom as punishment.
137* BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible
138* BeautifulSexualAssaultVictim: A character's likelihood of being a sexual assault victim, as well as whether their claims of victimization are believed, is tied to whether people think they're beautiful.
139* BecauseImGoodAtIt
140* BeneathSuspicion: An unassuming criminal who is unlikely to be treated as the culprit.
141* BetterManhandleTheMurderWeapon: Someone gets accused of murder because they got caught touching the murder weapon after the murder happened.
142* BewilderingPunishment
143* {{Blackmail}}: A form of extortion in which the perpetrator threatens to reveal compromising secrets about their victim if they fail to do whatever they demand of them.
144* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: A tamer euphemism used to describe criminal actions.
145* BlackMarket: A term referring to the secret network of criminal merchants who sell illegal goods and services.
146* BlatantBurglar: Thieves stick out like a sore thumb by wearing such things as eyemasks, ski caps, and shirts with black-and-white stripes.
147* BluffingTheAuthorities
148* BluffingTheMurderer
149* BountyHunter: A private contractor (neither a cop nor vigilante), who gets paid by the authorities to help assist in the capture (or killing) of fugitive criminals wanted by the law.
150* BurnTheWitch: In some historical (and current) jurisdictions, practicing occult magic is illegal, often being punishable by death.
151* BurnerPhones: Criminals often use throwaway cell phones to privately discuss their business with each other, in order to avoid getting traced or wiretapped by the police.
152* TheButlerDidIt: It turns out that a butler is responsible for committing the crime.
153* ByTheBookCop: A police officer who takes procedure and rule-abiding ''very'' seriously.
154* CallingCard
155* TheCaper: An elaborately planned heist/robbery of some place.
156* CaperCrew: A gang of thieves who plot these heists.
157* CaperRationalization
158* CapturedOnPurpose
159* CarouselKidnapping
160* CarpetRolledCorpse
161* TheCavalryArrivesLate: Reinforcements don't show up until after the villains have been defeated.
162* CementShoes: Killing someone by attaching concrete to them and forcing them to sink into water, so they drown while being unable to swim back up.
163* ChalkOutline: The chalk outline of a corpse is drawn on the ground where the corpse was found.
164* ChoresWithoutPowers: Someone with magical abilities, superpowers, etc. does menial labor without using said powers, usually as a punishment.
165* ChronicEvidenceRetentionSyndrome: Criminals holding onto evidence with no other function than incriminating them, when they could easily destroy it.
166* CleanupCrew: Characters whose job it is to clean up incriminating evidence.
167* ClearMyName: Someone wrongly accused of a crime has to prove they are innocent.
168* ClearTheirName: A person is wrongly accused of a crime and their friend makes it their task to prove they are innocent.
169* ClosetPunishment: A character is locked in a closet as a punishment.
170* ClueEvidenceAndASmokingGun: A character explains how they came to their conclusion by listing minor details that made them suspicious, then pointing out a clear giveaway that makes the previously mentioned evidence unnecessary.
171* CluelessDetective: You can't really rely on this guy to solve the crime.
172* CluelessMystery
173* CoatFullOfContraband
174* CoffinContraband: Hiding illegal goods next to a dead person or in their tomb.
175* ColdReading
176* CollidingCriminalConspiracies: When two different (groups of) criminals unwittingly find their respective schemes clashing with each other simultaneously.
177* ComatoseCanary: A key witness is unable to speak up because they're unconcious.
178* ComeToGawk
179* CommonNonsenseJury: The jurors in a courtroom trial are easily swayed by stupid arguments.
180* CondemnedContestant
181* ConfessToALesserCrime: A criminal pleads guilty to a lesser crime to avoid punishment for a bigger one.
182* ConMenHateGuns: Con artists and other fraudsters prefer to "politely" rob people through cunning and trickery instead of using brute force or intimidation.
183* ConnectTheDeaths
184* ConsultingAConvictedKiller: Those investigating the crime try to get a lead by asking questions to an imprisoned criminal who may know something about it.
185* ContractOnTheHitman: The hitman's employers hire someone else to kill the hitman.
186* TheConvenientStoreNextDoor
187* ConvictedByPublicOpinion: When someone is accused of committing a crime, everyone believes that person is guilty because they don't like them.
188* ConvictionByContradiction
189* ConvictionByCounterfactualClue
190* CoolAndUnusualPunishment
191* CopAndScientist
192* CopHater: Someone who hates the police in general.
193* CopKiller: A criminal who has murdered a police officer.
194* CopKillerManhunt: Someone who kills a cop ends up being chased by all their vengeful colleagues.
195* CopsNeedTheVigilante: Police have to rely on unofficial crime-fighters to do their jobs for them.
196* CorporalPunishment: The infliction of painful physical injuries to punish one's misbehavior.
197* CounterfeitCash: The production and usage of fake money, typically forged to resemble genuine currency, is obviously very illegal.
198* TheCorpseStopsHere: A person gets accused of murder just for being near the body.
199* CorrectiveLecture: A character admonishes someone with a lecture about their behavior.
200* CorruptionByAMinor: Children influencing adults to engage in criminal behavior.
201* CorruptionOfAMinor: Adults influencing children to engage in criminal behavior.
202* CowboyCop: A policeman who breaks all the rules of proper police procedure.
203* CrammingTheCoffin
204* CrimeAfterCrime
205* TheCrimeJob
206* CrimeConcealingHobby: Someone uses an innocuous pastime to hide their criminal activity.
207* CrimeMagnet: Someone or something has an unusual tendency to draw criminal activity towards them.
208* CrimeOfPassion: Committing an unpremeditated act of violence or homicide due to an intense surge of emotion.
209* CrimeOfSelfDefense: Someone is arrested and prosecuted for defending themselves from an attacker.
210* CrimeSpreeMontage: {{Montages}} of criminals committing crimes.
211* CriminallyAttractive: A government official falls for the FemmeFatale.
212* CriminalMindGames: A criminal enjoys messing with the cops by leaving cryptic clues and threats of more crimes.
213* CrusadingLawyer: A passionate attorney who is genuinely interested in helping their clients for their own sake.
214* CutAndPasteNote: Ransom notes in fiction tend to be made by cutting letters from various printed works and pasting them together to form the required sentences to make it impossible to identify the one who wrote the note by their handwriting.
215* CutHimselfShaving: Someone gives an unlikely and/or ridiculous excuse for a wound, the fabrication itself possibly even being what they've been coerced to tell others by the one who harmed them in the first place.
216* DaChief: The head of the police department who has little patience for cops who aren't picking up the slack.
217* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster
218* DangerouslyCloseShave
219* TheDeadGuyDidIt
220* DeadlyDelivery
221* DeadlyRemoteControlToy
222* DeadPersonImpersonation: Someone steals the identity of a deceased person to use as an alias.
223* DeathInTheClouds: Somebody is murdered while on an airplane.
224* DeniedFoodAsPunishment: A child is punished by forcing them to go hungry.
225* DestroyTheEvidence: When you're unable to hide the evidence, you may just have to get rid of it in a more permanent way.
226* DestroyTheSecurityCamera: Breaking security cameras so you don't show up on them.
227* DetectiveMole
228* DetectivePatsy
229* DiabolicalMastermind: A brilliant criminal genius.
230* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: During a competition, the villain cheats in spite of the other participants having little chance of winning. Ironically, the villain could've won easily if they played fair instead of wasting time setting up obstacles for the other competitors.
231* DineAndDash: Leaving a restaurant without paying.
232* DiplomaticCoverSpy: Governments frequently exploit diplomatic immunity by using their embassies and consulates as a legitimate front for illegal espionage.
233* DiplomaticImpunity: When a foreign diplomat abuses their legal immunity to the local laws of their host country.
234* DirtyCop: A corrupt police officer who aids or commits crimes instead of stopping them.
235* DirtyHarriet: A policewoman goes undercover as a prostitute.
236* DisabilityAlibi: A suspect is written off as innocent because they have a disability of some sort that makes it impossible for them to have done the crime.
237* DismemberingTheBody: A corpse is dismembered before disposing of it, often by dispersing the bits.
238* DisproportionateRetribution: Someone gets an overly harsh punishment for a minor slight.
239* DoctorVonTurncoat: A war criminal with valuable expertise is given immunity in exchange for working for their former enemies.
240* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: Hitting someone (usually a misbehaved kid) with a belt.
241* DontTellMama: A criminal's mother doesn't know that their child is a criminal and the criminal prefers that their mother remain oblivious of the fact.
242* DoubleCaper
243* DraftDodging: [[{{Conscription}} Military draft]] evasion is usually a crime punishable by prison time or worse (unless the draft dodger, or conscientious objector, can make a good-enough excuse that the state finds acceptable).
244* DudleyDoRightStopsToHelp
245* DyingClue
246* EatTheEvidence: Attempting to orally conceal incriminating evidence.
247* EmancipatedChild: A minor who is no longer under the legal custody of their parents or guardians.
248* EmbarrassingAlibi: Humiliate yourself or ConfessToALesserCrime to establish your alibi.
249* EmptyCopThreat
250* EurekaMoment
251* EveryoneIsASuspect: There's reason to believe that every nearby witness to a crime may have been complicit in it.
252* EvidenceScavengerHunt
253* EvilLawyerJoke: The poor reputation of the legal profession is a source of humor.
254* EvilPlan: The villain's scheme to do something very evil and illegal.
255* ExaltedTorturer
256* TheExecutioner: Someone whose job is to execute a death sentence, killing prisoners convicted of capital crimes.
257* TheExile: Someone is punished for their crimes by being banished far away from their own homeland.
258* TheExoticDetective
259* ExpositionVictim
260* ExternalCombustion
261* ExtremelyColdCase: An unsolved crime that happened a long time ago.
262* FacialCompositeFailure: An attempt at doing a police sketch to identify a criminal leads to the drawing resulting from the witness's description looking nothing like the wanted criminal.
263* FailedExecutionNoSentence: Failure to carry out a death sentence results in the convict going free.
264* FakeAlibi: A suspect claims to have [[TheAlibi an alibi]], witnesses confirm, yet the suspect is actually guilty.
265* FakedKidnapping
266* FakingAndEntering
267* FallGuy: A designated scapegoat who is used by a criminal to take the blame for the latter's crimes. May either be a (willing) accomplice who was fooled or manipulated by their partner-in-crime, or someone completely innocent who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
268* FallingIntoJail: A villain is defeated by being thrown or dropped directly into a prison cell.
269* FalseConfession: Someone confesses to a crime they're not actually guilty of, usually due to coercion by the authorities.
270* FalseRapeAccusation: A fraudulent allegation accusing an innocent person of committing sexual assault.
271* FantasticLegalWeirdness: The law works differently in a [[SpeculativeFiction fantasy or science fiction setting]].
272* FedToPigs: A body is disposed of by feeding it to pigs.
273* FelonyMisdemeanor: An insignificant misdeed is treated as if it were a serious crime.
274* FelonyMurder: If someone dies because you committed a felony, that's murder.
275* FieryCoverUp: Burning evidence to destroy it.
276* FightingBackIsWrong
277* FingerInTheMail: Delivering a severed finger (or other body extremity) as proof of a kidnapping.
278* FingerLickingPoison
279* FingertipDrugAnalysis: Taste-testing a narcotic substance to prove it's the real deal.
280* FlashMobCoverup
281* FlashedBadgeHijack
282* AFoolForAClient: A person in legal trouble decides to be their own defense attorney.
283* ForbiddenHoliday: Celebrating this particular time of the year has been outlawed.
284* ForeignMoneyIsProofOfGuilt
285* ForensicAccounting
286* FoundTheKillerLostTheMurderer
287* FrameUp: A criminal tries to pin all the evidence of their crime on another (innocent) person, which may lead to them getting wrongly arrested and prosecuted for it.
288* FramingTheGuiltyParty: A criminal gets blamed for committing a crime they had no involvement in; however, it conveniently gets them in trouble for another unrelated crime that they really were responsible for.
289* TheFreelanceShameSquad: A bunch of people show up to laugh at a person's misfortune, which may be part of the character's punishment if they did something bad.
290* FreshClue
291* FriendOnTheForce
292* FugitiveArc: A storyline in which the protagonist is on the run from the law for (real or alleged) crimes.
293* FurnaceBodyDisposal
294[[/folder]]
295
296[[folder:Tropes (G-L)]]
297* GangInitiationFight
298* GentlemanDetective
299* GiveMeBackMyWallet
300* GoingByTheMatchbook
301* GoodCopBadCop
302* GoodLawyersGoodClients
303* GraveRobbing: Breaking into tombs to steal things from dead people.
304* GreatDetective
305* GuiltByCoincidence
306* GuiltRiddenAccomplice: A partner in crime starts to regret what they did.
307* GuiltyUntilSomeoneElseIsGuilty: An innocent person is considered to be guilty until their innocence is proven by the revelation of the real culprit behind the crime.
308* HadToComeToPrisonToBeACrook: A person gets wrongly jailed, and then becomes a real criminal as consequence.
309* HandOfDeath
310* HandyCuffs
311* HardboiledDetective
312* HangingJudge: A harsh judge who is extremely prejudiced against defendants, always ready to hand out guilty verdicts and sentence them with draconian penalties.
313* HeKnowsTooMuch: Someone gets killed for knowing too much about something that was supposed to be a secret.
314* HelloAttorney
315* HiddenWire: An undercover cop or informant hides a small microphone under their clothes in order to record some incriminating conversations with a criminal.
316* HideTheEvidence: You better figure out how and where to throw away the incriminating evidence that will prove your guilt in the crime.
317* HistoricalRapSheet: A villain is responsible for committing some notorious historical crime.
318* HollywoodLaw: [[ArtisticLicenseLaw Inaccurate depictions of the law and judicial system]].
319* HonorAmongThieves: Professional courtesy that is expected between criminals.
320* HuntingTheRogue: A rogue agent deserts from an organization they served and they're chased as a result.
321* IdentificationByDentalRecords
322* IdentifyingTheBody: A relative is asked to identify a body as confirmation of the deceased's identity.
323* IFoughtTheLawAndTheLawWon
324* TheIllegal: AKA an illegal alien/immigrant; a foreigner who has crossed another country's borders and stays there without any legal authorization to do so, and they can be subjected to arrest, imprisonment, and deportation if discovered.
325* IllegalGamblingDen: An underground casino that's not properly licensed or exists in violation of anti-gambling laws. Usually run by mobsters, and woe betide you if you owe them any unpaid debts resulting from prior bets you made there.
326* IllegalReligion: If you get caught practicing a religious sect that has been outlawed by the state, then expect to be punished for doing so.
327* ImpersonatingAnOfficer: A criminal disguises themselves as a police officer to covertly commit crimes. Note that the act of pretending to be a cop is also a crime itself.
328* ImpossibleTheft
329* InconvenientlyVanishingExoneratingEvidence
330* IncriminatingIndifference: Showing no emotional response towards a crime is proof that the person is complicit with the crime.
331* TheInformant: A witness (usually a criminal) who passes along information about criminal activity (especially crimes by other fellow criminals) to the authorities.
332* InfractionDistraction: Using a minor crime as a cover for a more serious felony.
333* InsanityDefense: A person tries to avoid getting in trouble for breaking the law by claiming that they are insane and therefore can't be held accountable for their actions. If successful, they will be found "not guilty by reason of insanity" (though this often results in being institutionalized at a psychiatric hospital).
334* InsideJob: A crime is committed or assisted by a person who has clearance to enter the facility where the crime happens.
335* InsigniaRipOffRitual: A discharged employee has their uniform or medals ripped off by their boss as part of their punishment.
336* InsistsOnBeingSuspected
337* InstantMysteryJustDeleteScene
338* InsuranceFraud: Scams involving insurance money.
339* IntangibleTheft: Someone manages to steal something that isn't a physical object.
340* InternalAffairs
341* InternalDeathSquad
342* InterrogatingTheDead: A dead person is temporarily revived so people investigating the crime can ask the deceased questions.
343* IRememberBecause: a witness will easily remember details of what they saw because they have some connection to the name, date, or other information.
344* ItNeverGetsAnyEasier
345* ItWasHereISwear
346* IWontSayImGuilty: Refusing to plead guilty.
347* TheJailer: Someone who imprisons people in extrajudicial detention without the permission of the legal system.
348* JaywalkingWillRuinYourLife: Committing an insignificant crime will make you suffer for the rest of your life.
349* JudgeJuryAndExecutioner: Someone is responsible for instantly charging, convicting, and punishing criminals on the spot.
350* JurisdictionFriction: When two cops from different police forces clash over who has official authority to investigate crimes in a particular area.
351* JuryAndWitnessTampering: Someone tries to bribe or intimidate jurors and witnesses so they can get a more favorable outcome in their trial.
352* JustAGangster
353* JustGotOutOfJail
354* JustOneLittleMistake
355* JusticeByOtherLegalMeans: A criminal gets off scot-free for what they did, [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty but then gets punished anyway for another offense they did]].
356* JustifiedCriminal: When you actually have a good reason for breaking the law.
357* KangarooCourt: The court does not follow the proper procedure of determining whether the defendant is guilty or innocent of the crime they're accused of committing.
358* KarmaHoudini: When someone has committed a crime, but they never end up getting punished for it due to any number of reasons.
359* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Someone manages to avoid being caught or punished for their crimes for a while... until their luck suddenly runs out, and the negative consequences of their actions finally catch up to them.
360* TheKetchupTest
361* KidnappedForExperimentation: A scientist (or group of scientists) kidnap their test subject(s).
362* KidnappersKFC: A kidnapper buys fast food for their hostage while on the run from the cops.
363* KidsPunishingParents: Rather than parents punishing their children for acting out of line, it's the other way around.
364* TheKillerBecomesTheKilled: A murderer themselves becomes a murder victim.
365* TheKillerWasLeftHanded
366* TheKindnapper
367* LastMinuteReprieve
368* LawOfDisproportionateResponse
369* LeaveNoWitnesses: Someone tries to avoid getting in trouble by killing everyone who saw them commit the crime.
370* LetOffByTheDetective
371* LetterBoxArson
372* LitteringIsNoBigDeal
373* LittleOldLadyInvestigates
374* LockedRoomMystery
375* LongerThanLifeSentence: To prevent a criminal from ever being released from prison, they are made to serve a sentence that lasts longer than any person can possibly live.
376* LoonyLaws: Ridiculous rules which may or may not be enforced.
377* TheLopsidedArmOfTheLaw: The police are only competent when they're going after the main characters.
378* LoveIsACrime: Love itself is illegal.
379* LuxuryPrisonSuite
380[[/folder]]
381
382[[folder:Tropes (M-S)]]
383* MadeOutToBeAJerkass: A person gets punished for rightly lashing out at a jerk because uninformed bystanders mistook the retaliating victim for being the jerk due to not knowing the full context of their retaliation.
384* MagicianDetective
385* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: It falls to the main characters to do all the evidence-hunting and crime-solving.
386* MakeAnExampleOfThem: Punishing a person who did nothing wrong to deter other people.
387* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: A murder is disguised to resemble a freak accidental death.
388* MamaDidntRaiseNoCriminal: A criminal's family members react with shock or disbelief after hearing about their crimes.
389* ManslaughterProvocation
390* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: A criminal is still a danger to the public even while locked up in jail.
391* MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot: The investigation of a small time crime leads to the discovery of a larger one.
392* MirandaRights
393* MiscarriageOfJustice: The judicial system is not perfect. It can result in [[KarmaHoudini guilty people getting off scot-free]], or even [[FrameUp innocent people getting punished in their place instead]].
394* MistakenConfession: Someone admits their guilt to a crime which their interrogators weren't even accusing them of committing.
395* MistakenForImprisonment: Someone incorrectly assumes they're being detained in jail or prison.
396* MistakenForPedophile: Circumstances lead to an innocent person being wrongfully accused of child sexual abuse.
397* MistakenForSpies: Circumstances lead to an innocent person being wrongfully accused of espionage.
398* MistakenForTerrorist: Circumstances lead to an innocent person being wrongfully accused of violent political extremism.
399* MistakenForThief: Circumstances lead to an innocent person being wrongfully accused of stealing something.
400* TheMobBossIsScarier
401* MobWar: A violent conflict between two or more criminal gangs, often fought for control of territory or caused by [[CycleOfRevenge retaliation for previous incidents]].
402* MonumentalTheft: Someone steals the world's monuments.
403* MoreCriminalsThanTargets
404* TheMostWanted: An official list of the top-ranking fugitive criminals currently wanted by the law.
405* MotiveEqualsConclusiveEvidence
406* MotiveMisidentification
407* MotiveRant: When the villain explains ''why'' they're committing their crimes.
408* MuggingTheMonster: A criminal targets the wrong person for an attack, and ends up suffering for it.
409* MugshotMontage: After people get arrested, we see a montage of their mugshots being photographed.
410* MurderByCremation
411* MurderByRemoteControlVehicle
412* MurdererPOV
413* MustStateIfYoureACop: A misconception that undercover cops are obligated to reveal that they are police when asked (which, for obvious reasons, is not true).
414* MyRuleFuIsStrongerThanYours
415* MysteryEpisode: An episodic plot where the protagonist must solve a crime or other mystery.
416* NecroCam: A FlashbackMontageRealization about how a character died.
417* NeverGoingBackToPrison: A convict who was just released (or escaped) from jail is desperate to never get locked up again.
418* NeverTheObviousSuspect: The most obvious suspect is just the RedHerring, while the one who's BeneathSuspicion is the real culprit.
419* NewRulesAsThePlotDemands: Breaking established rules for narrative convenience.
420* NoAdequatePunishment: A crime has no corresponding punishment in the rule of law.
421* NoBadgeNoProblem
422* NobleBigotWithABadge: A law enforcer who is prejudiced towards certain groups of people, but still desires to protect even their lives.
423* NocturnalCrime: Serious criminal activity is more likely to happen during nighttime rather than daytime.
424* NoHonorAmongThieves: Criminals are often not loyal to their own accomplices and are willing to betray them when it's convenient.
425* NonviolentInitialConfrontation
426* NoTellMotel
427* NotMeThisTime: The villain is accused of being behind the current crime, but it turns out they're actually innocent for once.
428* NotSupposedToBeAPunishment: When something is used or interpreted as a punishment when it isn't supposed to be.
429* NotProven
430* NoWarrantNoProblem: Police try to conduct a search of private property without having a valid warrant or excuse for doing so.
431* ObstructiveVigilantism: When vigilantes (un)intentionally interfere with police operations.
432* OccultDetective: A detective who specializes in solving supernatural crimes.
433* OccultLawFirm: Lawyers who specialize in handling supernatural legal matters.
434* OffOnATechnicality: A suspect/defendant is acquitted or allowed to go free, because the authorities made a critical legal error in the process of charging and prosecuting them.
435* OffTheRecord
436* OffToBoardingSchool: Misbehaving children are sent to boarding school as punishment.
437* OldCopYoungCop: An experienced lawman is partnered up with a younger rookie in the police force.
438* OminousLegalPhraseTitle
439* OmnidisciplinaryLawyer
440* OmniscientDatabase
441* OneCaseAtATime
442* OneLastJob: A cop or criminal is called upon to do a final mission before retirement.
443* OnePhoneCall: People who have been arrested are only allowed to use the phone in the police station once.
444* OnlyBadGuysCallTheirLawyers: Suspects in police custody are automatically assumed to be guilty if they demand to have an attorney present.
445* OpenAndShutCase: Ironic OneLiner about a case so obviously easy to close.
446* OrganTheft: Stealing body parts from a (living or dead) person to later illegally sell them as organ transplants.
447* PaperworkPunishment: After someone has done something wrong, they're saddled with copious amounts of paperwork to fill out.
448* ThePardon: An official act of legal forgiveness for a criminal conviction.
449* ThePeepingTom: A person who gets their sick kicks by spying on people, which is an illegal invasion of privacy.
450* PenalColony: A prison facility in a remote location that is meant to isolate convicts from the rest of civilization.
451* ThePenance
452* ThePerfectCrime
453* PerfectPoison
454* PerpWalk
455* PersecutingProsecutor: A prosecutor who will do anything and everything to win their case.
456* PersonaNonGrata: An officially unwelcome individual who is banned from entering a certain place, ranging from a specific business establishment to an entire country.
457* PhoneInDetective
458* PhoneTraceRace
459* PleaBargain: When a suspect/defendant decides to immediately plead guilty in hopes of avoiding a harsher punishment for whatever crime they've been charged with.
460* PlethoraOfMistakes
461* PoliceBrutality: When cops engage in excessively violent force against suspected criminals or innocent people. May sometimes (rarely) result in the offending cop being prosecuted for brutalizing the victim.
462* PoliceBrutalityGambit: An arrested person tries to get the police in trouble by lying that the police used excessive force on them.
463* PoliceCodeForEverything: The police have a code for any kind of circumstance they end up dealing with.
464* PoliceLineup: The cops round up a bunch of arrested suspects to compare them and determine which one seems to be the likeliest culprit.
465* PossessionPresumesGuilt: When an innocent person gets caught with something that makes them look guilty.
466* PostRobberyTrauma: It's not uncommon for crime victims to still feel quite shaken even after the experience is over.
467* PrankPunishment: A punishment in the form of a practical joke.
468* PrecrimeArrest: Someone gets arrested for a crime they haven't even committed yet.
469* PreferJailToTheProtagonist: The villain finds the protagonist so unbearable that they'd rather go straight to prison than endure them any longer.
470* PregnantHostage: A pregnant woman gets held hostage.
471* PriceOnTheirHead: Someone has been targeted by criminals or the authorities for violent death and/or live capture, with an impressive cash reward being offered as incentive; thus attracting [[ProfessionalKiller hired assassins]] and {{bounty hunter}}s to go after them.
472* PrisonEpisode: An episode of the show where one of the characters goes to prison.
473* PrisonChangesPeople
474* PrivateDetective: Someone who's paid to investigate criminal activity, but they're not a member of the police.
475* PrivateEyeMonologue
476* {{Profiling}}: Suspects are targeted for arrest on the basis of their ethnicity.
477* PromotionNotPunishment
478* ProppingUpTheirPatsy: A culprit proclaims the innocence of another suspect to conceal their own culpability or further their own agenda.
479* PullTheThread
480* PunishedForSympathy
481* PunishmentBox
482* PunishmentDetail
483* ThePunishmentIsTheCrime
484* PutOnAPrisonBus: A criminal is last seen in the story being taken away by the police.
485* RageAgainstTheLegalSystem
486* RansomDrop: A discreet way to deliver a ransom to the criminals.
487* RapeAndRevenge: A rape victim or someone close to the rape victim gets even with the rapist.
488* TheRat
489* RationalizingTheOverkill: Someone gives an excuse for why they retaliated to a slight with more extremes than the offense really deserved.
490* ReadingYourRights: In many countries, the police are expected to inform arrested suspects of their legal rights.
491* RearWindowInvestigation
492* RearWindowWitness
493* RecruitingTheCriminal: The authorities need a convict's help to solve a crime.
494* RegularlyScheduledEvil
495* ReturningToTheScene: A criminal goes back to same place where they did the crime.
496* RevengeIsNotJustice: Personal retribution is not legally or morally justified.
497* RevisitingTheColdCase
498* ReviveTheAncientCustom
499* RewindReplayRepeat
500* RiseAndFallGangsterArc
501* RobbingTheMobBank
502* RogueJuror: One member of the jury defies the other jurors' consensus.
503* {{Safecracking}}
504* SavedFromTheirOwnHonor: A character is honor-bound to harm themselves, but is stopped by someone wise/benevolent.
505* ScaryMinoritySuspect: An immoral-seeming TokenMinority character is portrayed as the obvious suspect of a crime.
506* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Someone [[KarmaHoudini avoids punishment for their crimes]] because they're friends with the people who have the authority to punish them.
507* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: A rich person [[KarmaHoudini avoids punishment for their crimes]] by bribing the authorities with their obscenely high level of wealth.
508* ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers: Someone uses their [[MagicAndPowers superhuman abilities]] to (try to) get away with breaking the law.
509* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: An authority figure believes that being in charge [[KarmaHoudini makes them above the law]], which can be true if they really are that powerful and untouchable.
510* ScrewTheRulesImBeautiful: Someone [[KarmaHoudini gets away with their misdeeds]] because of their good looks.
511* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Someone deliberately defies the rules because they get in the way of doing the right thing.
512* ScrewTheRulesImFamous: A celebrity tries to exploit their great fame and public adoration so that [[KarmaHoudini they can get away with anything]].
513* ScrewTheRulesItsTheApocalypse: Everyone decides that [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the world ending]] (or some other major disaster) means that laws and rules are now meaningless, and they can now do whatever the hell they want.
514* ScrewTheRulesTheyBrokeThemFirst: One team decides that it's okay for them to break the rules if the other team has already broken them.
515* SelectiveSqueamishnessSuppression
516* SelfRestraint
517* SentencedToDownUnder
518* SentencedWithoutTrial: Someone is condemned for a crime without receiving a trial, despite being specifically entitled to one by whatever legal system exists in the setting.
519* SerialKillerBaiting: Dressing up [[TheBait someone]] as a suitable target to lure out a SerialKiller.
520* TheSheriff
521* ShippedInShackles
522* ShouldntYouStopStealing
523* SingleTargetLaw: A law is passed with a specific person in mind.
524* SlidingScaleOfLawEnforcement
525* SmithOfTheYard
526* SmokescreenCrime: Someone commits or stages a crime to obscure another one.
527* SmokingGunControl
528* SnuffFilm: A film or video of someone getting murdered.
529* SocietyIsToBlame: It is attempted to excuse a criminal's actions by placing the blame on the poor condition of the world and rationalizing that if things weren't so terrible, the criminal wouldn't have been forced to do what they did.
530* SpottingTheThread
531* SpousalPrivilege: A defendant's wife or husband cannot be compelled to testify against them in court.
532* TheStateless: Someone who is not officially recognized as a citizen or national of any sovereign country. Because they are unable to obtain a valid passport, this makes international travel and immigration laws a very legally confusing mess for them.
533* StatuteOfLimitations: There are laws which set expiration dates on how much time can pass until a criminal offense can no longer be prosecuted.
534* StealTheSurroundings
535* StealingFromTheTill: Embezzlement.
536* StealingFromThieves: When robbers get a taste of their own medicine.
537* SteppingOutForAQuickCupOfCoffee
538* StickyFingers
539* StockPunishment: An old-fashioned way of publicly punishing and humiliating someone by restraining them with a wooden block over their head and arms.
540* TheStoolPigeon
541* StrangersOnATrainPlotMurder
542* SuicideIsShameful: Attempted suicide may be illegal in some jurisdictions.
543* SuicideNotMurder: A self-inflicted death is mistaken for a homicide.
544* TheSummation: The detective explains who did the crime and how they solved the case.
545* SummationGathering: The detective gathers all the suspects together to explain which one of them is the culprit.
546* SuspectIsHatless: Someone reports a criminal while giving a description too vague and non-specific to narrow down who the criminal could be.
547* SuspectExistenceFailure: Someone suspected of murder gets killed by the real killer.
548* SuspiciousSpending: When someone spends a bit too much money on things they can't easily afford, it's taken to be a sign of them having acquired those funds through illicit means.
549* SuspiciouslyCleanCriminalRecord: A sketchy suspect has no known history of prior offenses.
550* SuspiciouslyIdleOfficers: A corrupt employee is never seen doing their job.
551* SwissBankAccount: The villain hides their ill-earned money by storing it in an offshore bank account.
552* SympatheticMurderer
553[[/folder]]
554
555[[folder:Tropes (T-Z)]]
556* TakingTheHeat: Voluntarily taking (all) the blame for a crime, so that your friend doesn't have to.
557* TakeMeOutAtTheBallGame
558* ATasteOfTheLash: Flogging someone with a whip as a form of punishment.
559* TenLittleMurderVictims
560* TerminallyIllCriminal: A character commits a serious crime after learning they have a fatal disease.
561* ThatOneCase
562* ThereAreNoPolice: There's no authorities around to stop you from causing trouble in this lawless place.
563* ThereIsNoHigherCourt
564* ThereShouldBeALaw: A character remarks that they believe something should be illegal.
565* ThisBearWasFramed
566* TimeDelayedDeath
567* ToKnowHimIMustBecomeHim
568* TradingBarsForStripes: A convicted criminal is given the option of serving in the military to reduce their prison sentence.
569* TrailOfBlood
570* TrainJob
571* TrialByCombat: Two people in a legal dispute must settle it by literally fighting in a violent duel.
572* TrashyTrueCrime
573* TrialByOrdeal: Forcing a defendant to experience a dangerously life-threatening situation to prove their guilt or innocence.
574* TrialRunCrime
575* TrickedIntoAnotherJurisdiction
576* TruceTrickery: A war crime formally known as "perfidy".
577* UnbelievableSourcePlot
578* UndercoverCopReveal: Someone turns out to be an undercover police detective on a covert assignment.
579* UnintentionallyNotoriousCrime
580* {{Unishment}}: A "punishment" that's not so bad or even enjoyable.
581* UnknowinglyPossessingStolenGoods
582* TheUnsolvedMystery
583* UselessSecurityCamera
584* USMarshal
585* VaryingCompetencyAlibi: A character is proven innocent when they're shown to be too competent or incompetent to have done the crime.
586* VehicleRoofBodyDisposal
587* VehicularKidnapping
588* VehicularSabotage
589* VigilanteExecution: Killing someone to punish their (alleged) crimes without the permission of the judicial system.
590* VigilanteInjustice: Private citizens trying to take the law into their own hands are more of a menace than a savior to society.
591* VigilanteMan: Someone who's not an official agent of law enforcement decides to go out of their way to find, capture, or even punish (alleged) criminals.
592* VigilanteMilitia: A group of like-minded vigilantes form a crime-fighting organization.
593* VillainByProxyFallacy: The logical fallacy that working with the bad guy means that you're also a bad guy.
594* TheVillainMustBePunished: The villain must pay for their crimes; merely foiling their plans isn't enough.
595* VomitingCop: A police officer pukes in response to seeing a particularly grisly crime scene.
596* WantedPoster: A mass-produced document depicting images and information about a fugitive criminal wanted by the law, detailing their crimes and often promising rewards for anyone who willingly assists in their capture.
597* WeNeedToGetProof
598* WhoWatchesTheWatchmen: When the authorities need to be policed themselves.
599* WinYourFreedom
600* WhiteCollarCrime: Various forms of fraud and other financial crimes.
601* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: An unsympathetic person has been killed, but it's hard to identify the murderer because pretty much everyone who knew the bastard hated them enough to want to kill them.
602* WidelySpacedJailBars: A character manages to stay locked up when their cell's bars are wide enough to easily slip through.
603* WitlessProtectionProgram: When the Witness Protection Program is incompetent.
604* WitnessProtection: A government program in which witnesses to a crime (especially informants with valuable insider knowledge) are hidden away in a distant classified location, in order to prevent retaliation by the same criminals whom they'll testify against in court.
605* WorkingOnTheChainGang
606* WritingAboutYourCrime: A crime fiction writer publishes a confession in disguise.
607* WritingIndentationClue
608* WrongfulAccusationInsurance
609* WrongfullyCommitted: A judge sentences a sane character to be institutionalized in a mental hospital.
610* YouDoNotHaveToSayAnything
611* YouMeddlingKids: While being arrested, the villain calls out the heroes who exposed them for their crimes.
612[[/folder]]
613
614[[/index]]

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