Overprosecute
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Part of speech verb
Quick meaning: Overprosecute is a verb meaning (transitive) To prosecute (a crime or community) excessively.
Meaning
(transitive) To prosecute (a crime or community) excessively.
Example Sentences
The emphasis on prosecution and conviction as metrics of success leads police and prosecutors to overarrest, overprosecute, and overpunish low-level drug and other crimes in many cases.
Criminal justice reform has become a national topic of discussion given recent police killings of Black men, and Jones points out that he's been a longtime activist on this issue, with his experience in Palo Alto and as an NAACP youth organizer. Also, he notes, as a Black man, "People like me are overpoliced, overarrested, overprosecuted."
Word Forms
- overprosecutes
- overprosecuting
- overprosecuted
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include overpursue, overpenalise, overpenalize, overpunish, overprovoke, overpolice.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
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