What does the term "double jeopardy" refer to?

The term "double jeopardy" refers specifically to the legal principle that prohibits an individual from being tried again for the same offense after an acquittal or conviction. This protection is enshrined in the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which aims to prevent the state from subjecting someone to the financial, emotional, and social burdens of multiple trials for the same crime. The underlying idea is to ensure fairness in the judicial process and to provide finality to judicial decisions. Once a person has been acquitted, the government cannot retrial them for that same charge, thus safeguarding against the risk of government abuse in prosecuting individuals repeatedly.

The other options describe different legal concepts that do not directly relate to the definition of double jeopardy. For instance, being sentenced for multiple offenses at once refers to concurrent or consecutive sentencing, while facing multiple charges in different jurisdictions pertains to issues of jurisdictional authority. Serving two consecutive criminal sentences is a matter of sentencing structure rather than a trial-related protection, and these distinctions are important in understanding the boundaries of legal proceedings and the rights of defendants.