Cryptic crossword clue
Earl breaks criminal law – that’s prison or something less harsh

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 1 plus 4 plus 2 plus 3 plus 5 letter word A SLAP ON THE WRIST

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
A
S
L
A
P
O
N
T
H
E
W
R
I
S
T

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The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

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