extrajudicial

/ˌˈɛkstrədʒuˌdɪʃəl/

Other forms: extrajudicially

Something that's extrajudicial isn't backed or upheld by the law. Taking revenge on someone instead of taking them to court is an extrajudicial punishment.

If a prisoner is executed without an official trial in a court, it's extrajudicial, and if police officers shoot and kill a suspect instead of arresting him, that would also be extrajudicial. Both examples happen outside of the legal process, and without the checks and balances that the law provides. Extrajudicial comes from the Latin root words extra, "outside of," and iudicalis, "belonging to a court of justice."

Definitions of extrajudicial

1. adjective

   beyond the usual course of legal proceedings; legally unwarranted
   “an extrajudicial penalty”

   synonyms:

   illegal

   prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules