Attainder

An attainder, in British law, is the ending of a person's civil rights after he has been sentenced to death or to outlawry, as an additional penalty. It was frequently imposed in cases of treason.

Related Topics:
British law - Civil rights - Death - Outlawry - Treason

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The ending, or "extinction" of a person's capacity to own property carried also the "corruption of blood" — meaning that his children could not inherit his wealth or titles — and the property of an attainted person became owned by the British Crown. Heirs who had lost their expected inheritance could petition the Crown for a reversal of the attainder; this was usually granted to those who had performed some service to the Crown, and did not always result in a complete return of the expected property.

Related Topics:
Corruption of blood - British Crown

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The abuse of attainder as a means of garnering income for the Crown was much resented, and the use of bills of attainder was forbidden by American colonists in their fundamental law, the United States Constitution.

Related Topics:
Bills of attainder - American - United States Constitution

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~