Which amendment to the United States Constitution protects the citizenry from "Double Jeopardy"?

• A. The First Amendment
• B. The Fifth Amendment
• C. The Fourth Amendment
• D. The Sixth Amendment

Answer: (B)

Protection against being tried twice for the same offense is provided by the Fifth Amendment. The Double Jeopardy Clause says that once a person has been put in jeopardy by a valid trial and a final verdict (acquittal or conviction), the government generally cannot retry the person for the same offense. It also bars imposing multiple punishments for the same offense. This safeguard stops the government from hounding someone with repeated prosecutions after a decision has been reached. There are nuances, like how the “same offense” is defined and occasional allowances for separate sovereigns to prosecute the same conduct, but the fundamental idea is that this protection lives in the Fifth Amendment. The other amendments cover different rights—freedom of expression and religion (First), protections against unreasonable searches and seizures (Fourth), and rights to a speedy trial and counsel (Sixth)—not this double-jeopardy protection.