Statute of limitations
The time limit within which criminal charges must be filed after an alleged offence, after which prosecution is barred.
Most crimes have a statute of limitations — typically 3 to 20 years depending on the jurisdiction and seriousness of the offence. The most serious crimes (murder, war crimes, crimes against humanity) usually have no statute of limitations at all. For fugitives, the clock commonly tolls while the subject is evading arrest. This means a fugitive cannot simply wait out the deadline by fleeing; countries generally pause the limitation period for the time during which the person is absent from the jurisdiction or deliberately evading process. In extradition proceedings, if the statute of limitations has expired in either the requesting or the requested country, extradition is typically refused.