Criminal Justice

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Abandonment

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Desertion of people or things.

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Accessory

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A person who helps commit a crime. An accessory before the fact is on who encourages, orders, or helps plan a crime. An accessory after the fact is someone who, knowing a crime has been committed, helps conceal the crime or criminal.

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Adjudicatory Hearing

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A procedure used to determine the facts in a juvenile case; similar to an adult trial, but generally closed to the public.

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Admissable

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Evidence that can be used or introduced in a trial or other court proceeding.

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Arrest

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Taking a person suspected of a crime into custody.

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Accomplice

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Someone who voluntarily helps another person commit a crime.

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Alibi

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A Latin word meaning "elsewhere." An excuse or plea that a person was somewhere else at the time a crime was committed.

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Allegation

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An accusation that has not been proven.

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Arson

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The deliberate and malicious burning of property.

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Arraignment

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A court session at which a defendant is charged and enters a plea. For a misdemeanor this is also the defendant's initial appearance, at which the judge informs him or her of the charges and sets the bail.

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Assault

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An intentional physical attack, or threat of attack with the apparent ability to carry it out so that the victim feels in danger of physical assault or harm.

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Attempt

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An effort to commit a crime that goes beyond mere preparation but does not result in the commission of the crime.

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Bail

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Money or property put up by the accused or his or her agent to allow release from jail before trial. The purpose of bail is to assure the court that the defendant will return for trial.

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Burgulary

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Breaking and entering a building or habitation with the intention of committing a crime.

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Capital Punishment

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The death penalty.

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Collateral

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Money or property given as a security in a case a person is unable to repay a debt.

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Contraband

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Any items that are illegal to posses.

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Convict

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1)A person who has been found guilty of a crime and is now in prison;

2)To find a person guilty of crime or wrongdoing.

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Crime

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An act or failure to act that violates a law for which a penalty (usually a fine, jail, or probation) is set by the state.

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Criminal

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A person tho is judged guilty of committing a crime.

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Delinquent

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A child who has committed an act that, if committed by an adult, would be a crime under federal, state, or local law.

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Duress

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Unlawful pressure on a person to do something that he or she would not otherwise do. Duress may be a defense to a criminal charge.

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Emancipation

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The voluntary surrender by parents of the care, control, and earnings of a minor. A minor becomes emancipated upon reaching legal adulthood, or before that time if legally married or self-supporting.

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Embezzlement

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The taking of money or property by a person who has been entrusted with it, such as a bank teller or company account.

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Forgery

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Making a fake document or altering the real one with the intent to commit fraud.

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Home Confinement

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The type of sentence in which the defendant must serve the term at home and usually can leave only for essential purposes, such as work or school.

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False Imprisonment

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The intentional or wrongful confinement of another person against his or her will.

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Fine

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A monetary penalty imposed upon someone convicted of an offense.

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Fraud

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Any deception, lie, or dishonest statement made to cheat someone.

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Guilty by Mentally Ill

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A verdict that allows convicted criminal defendants to be sent to a hospital and later transferred to a prison after recovery from their mental illness.

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Homicide

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The killing of another person. Homicide can be criminal, non criminal, or negligent.

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Hung Jury

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The situation in which a jury cannot reach a unanimous decision.

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Ordinance

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A county or city law.

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Motive

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The reason a person commits a crime.

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Opening Statement

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An explanation to a jury at a trial by a party or the party's attorney, outlining what they expect to prove and how the intend to prove it.

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Parole

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Release from prison before the full sentence has been served.