Suspect and Defendant

This entry focuses on the notion of suspect and defendant. To begin with, the concept of ‘suspect’ will be illustrated, looking in particular at the elements that may trigger the emergence of such a condition, and that make it a much more contro- versial status than that of ‘defendant’ (II). Then, attention will be paid to fundamental rights (III), as well as on the duties attached to those conditions (IV). Finally, the contribution will conclude by looking at the status of persons investigated in punitive proceedings, that, although not being formally qualified as criminal ones, share with the latter the high level of risk involved for the accused and, as a consequence, increasingly poses the question about what level of procedural safeguards should find application (V).