 | Term | Definition |
| |
criminal |
anyone who has committed a criminal offense (a crime against the state) or who has been proven guilty of such an offense. |
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civil |
pertaining to crimes against a person or persons |
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plaintiff |
one who brings a court action against another |
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defendant |
a person or party against whom a plaintiff's allegations are brought. |
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cited |
mentioned in reference to legal sources that support a propositionof law to be established |
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felony |
a crime more serious than a misdimeanor and punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or death. |
| |
misdemeanor |
an offense less serious than a felony and which may be punished by a fine or sentence to a local prison for less than one year |
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statutory |
pertaining to a law |
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murder |
an act done with intent to kill the victim |
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manslaughter |
an unpremeditated taking of a human life |
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rape |
unlawful sexual intercourse with a female against her will |
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sodomy |
unnatural copidation of human beings with each other or with an animal |
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robbery |
the forcible stealing of the personal property of another either from his or her person or in the immediate presence of the victim |
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larceny |
stealing or removing someone's personal property to convert it illegally or deprive the owner of its possession. larceny is a felony. |
| |
arson |
intentional burning of another's building or property or of one's own building or property for a malicious or illegal purpose |
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burglary |
breaking and entering for the purpose of committing a crime |
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mayhem |
the wanton causing of violent injury to a person or thing |
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assault |
any deliberate attempt or threat to inflict bodily injury upon another person and with apparent ability to do so |
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battery |
illegal touching of another person |
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reformation |
the rehabilitation of a criminal; changed behavior |
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restraint |
restriction of liberty |
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retribution |
something given or demanded in payment or as a punishment for criminal wrong doing |
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deterrence |
punishment used to discourage crime |
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tort |
a private wrong or injury, other than breach of contract, for which the court will provide a remedy |
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intentional |
deliberate |
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strict liability |
responsibility of a seller or manufacturer for any defective product unduly threatening personal saftey |
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theft |
stealing property without consent of the owner |
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district court |
a division of the trial court (federal or state), serving a specific geographic area, with only one judge usually required to hear and decide a case |
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superior court |
a court of general jurisdiction to which a case is removed for trial or appeal |
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indictment |
a written accusation charging a party with committing a crime which is drawn up by the prosecuting attorney and issued by a grand jury |
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euthanasia |
an international action or lack of action causing the merciful death of someone suffering from a terminal illness or incurable condition |
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first-degree murder |
premeditated murder or murder committed with extreme cruelty |
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malice |
an unjust intention to commit an illegal act to injure someone |
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wanton |
done with reckless disregard of anothers rights or needs |
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respectable minority |
a minority acceptable to its peer group |
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conspiracy |
an agreement among conspirators |
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domestic violence |
abuse, physical or mental, that occurs within the home |
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fraud |
a deliberate deception intedned to produce unlawful gain |
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fiduciary |
holding or held in trust |
| |
self-defense |
the right to protect oneself reasonably from acts of violence or threatened violence |
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