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