What does 'double jeopardy' refer to in legal terms?

In legal terms, 'double jeopardy' refers to the principle that a person cannot be tried twice for the same offense. This protection is enshrined in the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution and is intended to prevent the legal system from subjecting individuals to the financial, emotional, and social burdens of being tried multiple times for the same crime after a verdict has been reached. In essence, once a person has either been acquitted or convicted of a crime, they cannot face another trial for that same charge, irrespective of the outcome of the first trial.

The other choices describe situations that do not fall under the definition of double jeopardy. For instance, being charged again for an offense that was previously dismissed does not violate double jeopardy if the dismissal was not on the merits of the case. Similarly, trying a person for a different offense related to the same case or being acquitted after trial does not pertain to the concept of double jeopardy. The focus of double jeopardy is strictly on the prohibition of retrying for the exact same offense, making the second option the accurate description of this legal principle.