The prosecution of a defendant for a criminal offense for which he has already been tried; prohibited in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

• A. Due process of law
• B. Equal protection under the law
• C. Double jeopardy
• D. Bill of Rights

Answer: (C)

Double jeopardy protects against being tried twice for the same crime after a final judgment has been reached. Once a defendant has been tried and a verdict issued—whether that verdict is a conviction or an acquittal—the government generally cannot prosecute him again for the same offense or impose additional punishment for that offense. This prevents repeated prosecutions simply to wear someone down and ensures finality in criminal justice. The other ideas don’t fit this scenario: due process of law is about fair procedures, equal protection concerns fair treatment under the law, and the Bill of Rights is the name of the first ten amendments themselves, not a specific rule about repeating prosecutions.