Trial in absentia
Okay kiddo, so imagine you and your friend are playing hide-and-seek but your friend doesn't come out when it's their turn to be found. That's kind of like what a trial in absentia is.
A trial is when someone goes to court to prove they did or didn't do something wrong. But sometimes a person who is supposed to be at the trial doesn't show up. Maybe they ran away or they're hiding, like your friend in the game.
In these cases, the trial can still happen without them being there. That's called a trial in absentia. The judge and lawyers will still listen to all the evidence and arguments from the people who did show up, like the police or the person who says the other person did something wrong.
If the judge decides the person who didn't show up is guilty, they can still be punished even if they weren't there. But sometimes people don't think it's fair to have a trial without the person there to defend themselves, so in some places they don't allow trial in absentia.
Does that make sense?
A trial is when someone goes to court to prove they did or didn't do something wrong. But sometimes a person who is supposed to be at the trial doesn't show up. Maybe they ran away or they're hiding, like your friend in the game.
In these cases, the trial can still happen without them being there. That's called a trial in absentia. The judge and lawyers will still listen to all the evidence and arguments from the people who did show up, like the police or the person who says the other person did something wrong.
If the judge decides the person who didn't show up is guilty, they can still be punished even if they weren't there. But sometimes people don't think it's fair to have a trial without the person there to defend themselves, so in some places they don't allow trial in absentia.
Does that make sense?
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