Original: In the common law of England , a judgment of ( criminal ) outlawry was one of the harshest penalties in the legal system , since the outlaw could not use the legal system to protect them if needed , e.g. from mob justice . To be declared an outlaw was to suffer a form of civil or social death .
Simplified: A longtime criminal can be declared an outlaw , which means the outlaw can not use the legal system to protect himself if needed .