Adjudication

The legal process of resolving a dispute; the process of judicially deciding a case.

Adjudication Withheld

An agreement between prosecution and a defendant to either drop or delay prosecution in exchange for some type of cooperation.

Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal

A probationary disposition of a case that the prosecution is willing to stop prosecuting, while the defendant is willing to forgo a trial, often with further orders in place, such as a restitution order, an order of protection, or mandatory community service. If the terms of the probation are satisfied, the charge may be dismissed and the record sealed — no further court

appearance being necessary.

Adulteration

A specimen that has been altered, as evidenced by test results showing either a substance that is not a normal constituent for that type of specimen or showing an abnormal concentration of an endogenous substance. (DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 40 Section 40.3)

Alcohol Test

An analytic procedure to determine whether an employee may have a prohibited concentration of alcohol in a breath or saliva specimen. (DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 40 Section 40.3)

Alimony

A court-ordered allowance that one spouse pays to the other spouse for maintenance and support while they are separated, while they are involved in a matrimonial lawsuit, or after they are divorced; esp., money that a court orders someone to pay regularly to his or her former spouse after the marriage has ended.

Annul

The act of nullifying or making void.

Antitrust Acts or Laws

The body of law designed to protect trade and commerce from restraints, monopolies, price-fixing, and price discrimination. The principal federal antitrust laws are the Sherman Act (15 USCA §§ 1–7) and the Clayton Act (15 USCA §§ 12–27).

Appeal

A proceeding undertaken to have a decision reconsidered by a higher

authority; esp., the submission of a lower court's or agency's decision to a higher court for review and possible reversal.

Appellant

A party who appeals a lower court's decision, usually seeking reversal of that decision.

Appellate Court

A court with jurisdiction to review decisions of lower courts or administrative agencies.

Arbitration

A dispute-resolution process in which the disputing parties choose one or more neutral third parties to make a final and binding decision resolving the dispute.

Arbitrator

A neutral person who resolves disputes between parties, esp. by means of formal arbitration. 2. A neutral decision-maker who is appointed directly or indirectly by the parties to an arbitration agreement to make a final and binding decision resolving the parties' dispute.

Archive/Archives

A place where public, historical, or institutional records are systematically preserved. The period of time a record is held at a court of record may differ between courts, states, and agencies.

Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition(ARD)

A pre-trial intervention program for first time non-violent offenders. A.R.D. is not a conviction and does not require a defendant to serve mandatory jail sentences associated with certain convictions. (Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (A.R.D.) | Bucks County, PA)

Armed Robbery

Robbery committed by a person carrying a dangerous weapon, regardless of whether the weapon is revealed or used.

Arraign / Arraignment

The initial step in a criminal prosecution whereby the defendant is brought before the court to hear the charges and to enter a plea.

Arrears/Arrearages

Behind in the discharging of a debt or other obligation.

Arson

The intentional and wrongful burning of someone else's property (as to destroy a building) or one's own property (as to fraudulently collect insurance).

Assault

The threat or use of force on another that causes that person to have a reasonable apprehension of imminent harmful or offensive contact; the act of putting another person in reasonable fear or apprehension of an immediate battery by means of an act amounting to an attempt or threat to commit a battery.

Bad Check

A check that is not honored because the account either contains insufficient funds or does not exist.

Bad Debt

A debt that is uncollectible and that may be deductible for tax purposes.

Bail

A security such as cash, a bond, or property; esp., security required by a court for the release of a criminal defendant who must appear in court at a future

time.

Battery

The nonconsensual touching of, or use of force against, the body of another with the intent to cause harmful or offensive contact.

Bench Trial

A trial before a judge without a jury. The judge decides questions of fact as well as questions of law.

Blackmail

The crime of making one or more threatening demands without justification; the offense of coercing someone by threats of public exposure or criminal prosecution.

Bond

A bond given to a court by a criminal defendant's surety to guarantee that the defendant will duly appear in court in the future and, if the defendant is jailed, to obtain the defendant's release from confinement. The effect of the release on bail bond is to transfer custody of the defendant from the officers of the law to the surety on the bail bond, whose undertaking is to redeliver the defendant to legal custody at the time and place appointed in the bond.

Bond Forfeiture

Bond forfeiture occurs when the defendant has failed to appear at court as ordered or has violated some other requirement.

Bookmaking

Gambling that entails the taking and recording of bets on an event, esp. a sporting event such as a horse race or football game.

Breach

A violation or infraction of a law, obligation, or agreement, esp. of an official duty or a legal obligation, whether by neglect, refusal, resistance, or inaction.

Breach of Contract

Violation of a contractual obligation by failing to perform one's own promise, by repudiating it, or by interfering with another party's performance.

Breaking and Entering

The modern statutory offense of breaking and entering into any building — not just a dwelling, and not only at night — with the intent to commit a felony.

Bribery

The corrupt payment, receipt, or solicitation of a private favor for official action.

Burglary Tools

An implement designed to help a person commit a burglary. In many jurisdictions, it is illegal to possess such a tool if the possessor intends to commit a burglary.

Capias

Any of various types of writs that require an officer to take a named defendant into custody. A capias is often issued when a respondent fails to appear or when an obligor has failed to pay child support.

Capital Case/Crime

A crime for which the death penalty may be imposed.

Carnal Knowledge

Sexual intercourse, esp. with an underage female.

Case

A civil or criminal proceeding, action, suit, or controversy at law or in equity.

Cause of Action

A group of operative facts giving rise to one or more bases for suing; a factual situation that entitles one person to obtain a remedy in court from another person.

Chain of Custody

The movement and location of real evidence, and the history of those persons who had it in their custody, from the time it is obtained to the time it is presented in court.

Change of Venue

The transfer of a case from a court in one locale to another in the same judicial system to cure a defect in venue, either to minimize the prejudicial impact of local sentiment or to secure a more sensible location for trial.

Charge

A formal accusation of an offense as a preliminary step to prosecution.

Child Support

A parent's legal obligation to contribute to the economic maintenance and education of a child until the age of majority, the child's emancipation before reaching majority, or the child's completion of secondary education.

Citation

A court-issued writ that commands a person to appear at a certain time and place to do something demanded in the writ, or to show cause for not doing so. Also, a police-issued order to appear before a judge on a given date to defend against a stated charge, such as a traffic violation.

City Court

A court having jurisdiction (usually civil and criminal) over cases arising within the municipality in which it sits. A municipal court's civil jurisdiction to issue a judgment is often limited to a small amount, and its criminal jurisdiction is limited to petty offenses, often traffic violations.

Civil

Of, relating to, or involving private rights and remedies that are sought by action or suit, as distinct from criminal proceedings.

Civil Action

An action brought to enforce, redress, or protect a private or civil right; a noncriminal litigation.

Civil Disorder

A public uprising by a large number of people who, acting together, cause harm to people or property.

Co-defendant

One of two or more defendants sued in the same litigation or charged with the same crime.

Coercion

Compulsion of a free agent by physical, moral, or economic force or threat of physical force.

Complaint

The initial pleading that starts a civil action and states the basis for the court's jurisdiction, the basis for the plaintiff's claim, and the demand for relief.

Community Control

A criminal sentence whose terms include intensive and strict supervision of an offender in the community, as by restricting the offender’s movements and activities and conducting electronic surveillance, and providing severe

sanctions for violations of any of the sentence’s terms.

Compounding Crime

An offense composed of one or more separate offenses.

Concurrent Sentences

Two or more sentences of jail time to be served simultaneously.

Conditional Release

See Parole.

Confirmation Test

A second analytical procedure performed on a different aliquot of the original specimen to identify and quantify a specific drug or drug metabolite. (DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 40 Section 40.3)

Consecutive Sentences

Two or more sentences of jail time to be served in sequence.

Conspiracy

An agreement by two or more persons to commit an unlawful act, coupled with an intent to achieve the agreement's objective, and (in most states) action or conduct that furthers the agreement; a combination for an unlawful purpose.

Contempt of Court

Conduct that defies the authority or dignity of a court or legislature.

Continuance

The adjournment or postponement of a trial or other proceeding to a future date.

Contract

An agreement between two or more parties creating obligations that are enforceable or otherwise recognizable at law.

Corporation

An entity (usually a business) having authority under law to act as a single person distinct from the shareholders who own it and having rights to issue stock and exist indefinitely; a group or succession of persons established in accordance with legal rules into a legal or juristic person that has a legal personality distinct from the natural persons who make it up, exists indefinitely apart from them, and has the legal powers that its constitution gives it.

Count/Charge

The is the sum of all of the charges that are brought up against a defendant who can be guilty of one or more counts or innocent of all counts

Counterfeit

Made to look genuine in an effort to deceive; produced by fakery, esp. with an intent to defraud.

Court of Limited Jurisdiction

A court with jurisdiction over only certain types of cases, or cases in which the amount in controversy is limited.

Court of Record

A court that may fine and imprison people for contempt.

Criminal Contempt

An act that obstructs justice or attacks the integrity of the court.

Criminal Mischief

The common-law misdemeanor of intentionally destroying or damaging another's property.

Criminal Nonsupport

The refusal or failure to provide maintenance or other financial assistance to a person for whom one is legally obliged to do so, such as a child, spouse, or other dependent.

Culpability

Moral blameworthiness; the quality of being culpable. The mental state that must be proved for a defendant to be held liable for a crime.

Cumulative Sentence

Two or more sentences of jail time to be served in sequence.

Cutoff Level

The analytical value (e.g., drug or drug metabolite concentration) used as the decision point to determine a result (e.g., negative, positive, adulterated, invalid or substituted) or the need for further testing. (DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 40 Section 40.3)

Damages

Money claimed by, or ordered to be paid to, a person as compensation for loss or injury; money legally owed or paid under an insurance provision in a liability policy for a legal or equitable claim asserted against the insured.

Dangerous Weapon

An object or device that, because of the way it is used, is capable of causing serious bodily injury.

Deadly Weapon

Any firearm or other device, instrument, material, or substance that, from the manner in which it is used or is intended to be used, is calculated or likely to produce death. In some states, the definition encompasses the likelihood of

causing either death or serious physical injury.

Debt

Liability on a claim; a specific sum of money due by agreement or otherwise.

Debtor

Someone who owes an obligation to another, esp. an obligation to pay money; esp., the person who owes payment or other performance of a secured obligation, whether or not that person owns or has rights in the collateral — including the seller of accounts, contract rights, or chattel paper.

Default Judgment

A judgment entered against a defendant who has failed to plead or otherwise defend against the plaintiff's claim.

Defendant

A person sued in a civil proceeding or accused of a criminal proceeding.

Deferred Adjudication

See Deferred Judgement.

Deferred Judgment

A conditional judgment placing a convicted defendant on probation, the successful completion of which will prevent entry of the underlying judgment of conviction.

Deferred Prosecution

An agreement between the prosecution and a defendant to either drop or delay prosecution in exchange for some type of cooperation.

Deferred Sentence

A sentence that will not be carried out if the convicted criminal meets certain requirements, such as complying with conditions of probation.

Defraud

To cause injury or loss to (a person or organization) by deceit; to trick (a person or organization) in order to get money.

Degree

An incremental measure of guilt or negligence; a level based on the seriousness of an offense.

De-Novo

Anew, afresh, or over again.

Directed Verdict

A ruling by a trial judge taking a case from the jury because the evidence will permit only one reasonable verdict.

Discharge

Any method by which a legal duty is extinguished; esp., the payment of a debt or satisfaction of some other obligation.

Dismissal

Termination of an action, claim, or charge without further hearing, esp. before a trial; esp., a judge's decision to stop a court case through the entry of an order or judgment that imposes no civil or criminal liability on the defendant with respect to that case.

Dismissed With Prejudice

(Of a case) removed from the court's docket in such a way that the plaintiff is foreclosed from filing a suit again on the same claim or claims.

Disorderly Conduct

Behavior that tends to disturb the public peace, offend public morals, or undermine public safety.

Disposition

The act of getting rid of or putting away something, esp. by way of authoritative or final decision; a final settlement or determination <the court's disposition of the case>.

Diversion Program

A pretrial program that refers certain criminal defendants. esp. youth offenders and first-time offenders, to rehabilitative community programs, the charges being placed on hold until, and ultimately reduced or dismissed after, benchmarks such as counseling for mental health, drug abuse, or employment are met.

Docket

A formal record in which a judge or court clerk briefly notes all the proceedings and filings in a court case.

Due Diligence

The diligence reasonably expected from, and ordinarily exercised by, a person who seeks to satisfy a legal requirement or to discharge an obligation.

Due Process of Law

The conduct of legal proceedings according to established rules and principles for the protection and enforcement of private rights, including notice and the right to a fair hearing before a tribunal with the power to decide the case.

Embezzlement

The fraudulent taking of personal property with which one has been entrusted, esp. as a fiduciary.

Et Al

And other persons.

Eviction

The act or process of legally dispossessing a person of land or rental property.

Ex Parte

Done or made at the instance and for the benefit of one party only, and without notice to, or argument by, anyone having an adverse interest; of, relating to, or

involving court action taken or received by one party without notice to the other, usually for temporary or emergency relief.

Expungement of Records

The removal of a conviction (esp. for a first offense) from a person's criminal record.

Extortion

The offense committed by a public official who illegally obtains property under the color of office; esp., an official's collection of an unlawful fee.

Failure to Appear

A party's unexplained and unexcused absence from a proceeding before a tribunal despite being summoned, esp. to prosecute or defend a lawsuit.

Family Law

The body of law dealing with marriage, divorce, adoption, child custody and support, child abuse and neglect, paternity, assisted reproductive technology, and other domestic-relations issues.

Felonious

Of, relating to, or involving a felony.

Felony

A serious crime usu. punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or by death.

First Offender

Someone who authorities believe has committed a crime but who has never before been convicted of a crime. First offenders are often treated leniently at sentencing or in plea negotiations.

Forcible Entry

The act or an instance of violently and unlawfully taking possession of lands and tenements against the will of those in lawful possession.

Forfeiture

The loss of a right, privilege, or property because of a crime, breach of obligation, or neglect of duty.

Fraud

A knowing misrepresentation or knowing concealment of a material fact made to induce another to act to his or her detriment.

Grand Jury

A body of (usually 16 to 23) people who are chosen to sit permanently for at least a month — and sometimes a year — and who, in ex parte proceedings, decide whether to issue indictments.

Grand Larceny

Larceny of property worth more than a statutory cutoff amount, usually $100.

Gross Misdemeanor

A serious misdemeanor, though not a felony.

Guilty

Having committed a crime; responsible for a crime.

Habeas Corpus: Criminal

A writ employed to bring a person before a court, most frequently to ensure that the person's imprisonment or detention is not illegal (habeas corpus ad subjiciendum)

Habitual Offender

Someone who commits the same or a similar offense a certain number of times in a certain period, as set by statute, and is therefore eligible for an enhanced

sentence.

Homicide

The killing of one person by another.

Hung Jury

A jury that cannot reach a verdict by the required voting margin.

Illicit

Illegal or improper.

Implied Consent

Consent inferred from one's conduct rather than from one's direct expression.

Incendiary

Someone who deliberately and unlawfully sets fire to property. Also n instrument (such as a bomb) or chemical agent designed to start a fire.

Incorrigible

Incapable of being reformed; delinquent.

Indictment

The formal written accusation of a crime, made by a grand jury and presented to a court for prosecution against the accused person.

Infraction

A violation, usually of a rule or local ordinance and usually not punishable by incarceration.

Injunction

A court order commanding or preventing an action.

Insanity Defense / Insanity Plea

An affirmative defense alleging that a mental disorder caused the accused to commit the crime. Unlike other defenses, a successful insanity defense may not result in an acquittal but instead in a special verdict (“not guilty by reason of insanity”) that usually leads to the defendant’s commitment to a mental

institution.

Intent

The state of mind accompanying an act, esp. a forbidden act.

Interrogation

The formal or systematic questioning of a person; esp., intensive questioning by the police, usually of a person arrested for or suspected of committing a crime.

Intoxication

A diminished ability to act with full mental and physical capabilities because of alcohol or drug consumption; drunkenness.

Invalid Result

The result reported by an HHS-certified laboratory in accordance with the criteria established by HHS when a positive, negative, adulterated, or substituted result cannot be established for a specific drug or specimen validity test. DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 40 Section 40.3)

Involuntary Dismissal

A court's dismissal of a lawsuit because the plaintiff failed to prosecute or failed to comply with a procedural rule or court order.

Jail

A prison; esp., a local government's detention center where persons awaiting trial or those convicted of misdemeanors are confined.

Judgment

A court or other tribunal's final determination of the rights and obligations of the parties in a case; also, the act or action of making such a determination. The

term judgment includes an equitable decree and any order from which an appeal lies.

Jurisdiction

A government's general power to exercise authority over all persons and things within its territory; esp., a state's power to create interests that will be recognized under common-law principles as valid in other states.

Jury

A group of persons selected according to law and given the power to decide questions of fact and return a verdict in the case submitted to them.

Jury Trial

A trial in which the factual issues are determined by a jury, not by the judge.

Kidnapping

At common law, the crime of forcibly abducting a person from his or her own country and sending the person to another. This offense amounted to false imprisonment aggravated by moving the victim to another [location].

Laboratory

Any U.S. laboratory certified by HHS under the National Laboratory Certification Program as meeting the minimum standards set by HHS; or, in the case of foreign laboratories, a laboratory approved for participation by DOT under this part. (DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 40 Section 40.3)

Lascivious

(Of conduct) tending to excite lust; lewd; indecent; obscene.

Lewd

Obscene or indecent; tending to moral impurity or wantonness <lewd behavior>.

Libel

To defame (someone) in a permanent medium, esp. in writing.

Malice

The intent, without justification or excuse, to commit a wrongful act.

Malice Aforethought

The requisite mental state for common-law murder, encompassing any one of the following: (1) the intent to kill, (2) the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm,

(3) extremely reckless indifference to the value of human life (the so-called “abandoned and malignant heart”), or (4) the intent to commit a dangerous felony (which leads to culpability under the felony-murder rule).

Malicious Mischief

The common-law misdemeanor of intentionally destroying or damaging another's property. Although modern statutes predominantly make this offense a misdemeanor, a few make it a felony (depending on the nature of the property or its value).

Manslaughter

The unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought.

Mayhem

The crime of maliciously injuring a person's body, esp. to impair or destroy the victim's capacity for self-defense.

Medical Review Officer

Medical Review Officer (MRO). A person who is a licensed physician and who is responsible for receiving and reviewing laboratory results generated by an

employer's drug testing program and evaluating medical explanations for certain drug test results. (DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 40 Section 40.3)

Menacing

An attempt to commit common-law assault.

Misdemeanor

A crime that is less serious than a felony and is usually punishable by fine, penalty, forfeiture, or confinement (usually for a brief term) in a place other than

prison (such as county jail).

Mistrial

A trial that the judge brings to an end without a determination on the merits because of a procedural error or serious misconduct occurring during the proceedings.

Murder

The killing of a human being with malice aforethought. At common law, the crime of murder was not subdivided, but many state statutes have adopted a degree structure, though the Model Penal Code has not.

National Crime Information Center (NCIC)

The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is a computerized index of missing persons and criminal information and is designed for the rapid exchange of information between criminal justice agencies.

Negative Result

The result reported by an HHS-certified laboratory to an MRO when a specimen contains no drug or the concentration of the drug is less than the cutoff concentration for the drug or drug class and the specimen is a valid specimen. (DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 40 Section 40.3)

Negative Dilute

A negative dilute specimen, by industry standard, is a urine specimen that tests negative for drugs, but the urine sample had a higher than normal water content so could not accurately assess drugs in the system. According to the National Drug Screening, Inc., the sample has a creatinine of greater than 5 mg/dl or less than 20 g/dl and a specific gravity is less than 1.0010 (or greater

than 1.0200).

Neglect

The failure to give proper attention to a person or thing, whether inadvertent, negligent, or willful; the act of treating someone or something heedlessly or inattentively.

Negligence

The failure to exercise the standard of care that a reasonably prudent person would have exercised in a similar situation; conduct that falls below the legal standard established to protect others against unreasonable risk of harm, except for conduct that is intentionally, wantonly, or willfully disregardful of others' rights; the doing of what a reasonable and prudent person would not do under the particular circumstances, or the failure to do what such a person would do under the circumstances. The term denotes culpable carelessness.

No Bill or No True Bill

A grand jury's notation that insufficient evidence exists for an indictment on a criminal charge <the grand jury returned a no bill instead of the indictment the

prosecutors expected>. <the grand jury no-billed three of the charges>.

No Contest

A criminal defendant’s plea that, while not admitting guilt, the defendant will not dispute the charge. This plea is often preferable to a guilty plea, which can be

used against the defendant in a later civil lawsuit.

Nolo Contendere

A plea in a criminal prosecution that without admitting guilt subjects the defendant to conviction according to Merriam-Webster dictionary

Nolle Prosequi

A legal notice that a lawsuit or prosecution has been abandoned.

Non-Negative Specimen

A specimen that is reported as adulterated, substituted, positive (for drug(s) or drug metabolite(s)), and/or invalid. (DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 40 Section 40.3)

Not Guilty

A defendant's plea denying the crime charged. A jury verdict acquitting the defendant because the prosecution failed to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Ordinance

An authoritative law or decree; specif., a municipal regulation, esp. one that forbids or restricts an activity. Municipal governments can pass ordinances on matters that the state government allows to be regulated at the local level. A municipal ordinance carries the state's authority and has the same effect within the municipality's limits as a state statute.

Pandering

The act or offense of recruiting a prostitute, finding a place of business for a prostitute, or soliciting customers for a prostitute. — Also termed promoting prostitution; pimping.

Paraphernalia

Miscellaneous items of equipment or adornment; belongings.

Parole

The conditional release of a convicted offender from a penal or correctional institution, after serving part but not all of a sentence of imprisonment, with the remainder of the sentence to be served in the community under supervision.

Parole Violation

A parolee's breaching the terms of release in some material respect, as a result of which a hearing may be held and reincarceration imposed if warranted.

Pending

Remaining undecided; awaiting decision <a pending case>.

Perjury

The act or an instance of a person's deliberately making material false or misleading statements while under oath; esp., the willful utterance of untruthful testimony under oath or affirmation, before a competent tribunal, on a point material to the adjudication.

Petit (Petty) Jury

A jury (usually consisting of 6 or 12 persons) summoned and empaneled in the trial of a specific case.

Plea

An accused person's formal response of “guilty,” “not guilty,” or “no contest” to a criminal charge.

Plea Bargain

A negotiated agreement between a prosecutor and a criminal defendant whereby the defendant pleads guilty or no contest to a lesser offense or to one of multiple charges in exchange for some concession by the prosecutor, usually a more lenient sentence or a dismissal of the other charges.

Preliminary Hearing

A criminal hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to prosecute an accused person; specif., a proceeding before a judge or magistrate judge held soon after a criminal defendant is taken into custody, usually on felony charges, the typical prosecution having the burden to establish reasonable cause to believe that the defendant has committed a felony. If sufficient evidence exists, the case will be set for trial or bound over for grand-jury review, or an information will be filed in the trial court.

Premeditation

Conscious consideration and planning that precedes an act (such as committing a crime); the pondering of an action before carrying it out.

Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI)

See Diversion Program, Deferred Prosecution.

Prison

A building or complex where people are kept in long-term confinement as punishment for a crime, or in short-term detention while waiting to go to court as criminal defendants; specif., a state or federal facility of confinement for convicted criminals, esp. felons.

Probable Cause

A reasonable ground to suspect that a person has committed or is committing a crime or that a place contains specific items connected with a crime.

Probate

The judicial procedure by which a testamentary document is established to be a valid will; the proving of a will to the satisfaction of the court.

Probation

The release of a convicted offender under conditions imposed by the court for a specified period during which the court retains the authority to modify the sentence or to resentence the offender if the conditions are violated.

Prosecution

A criminal proceeding in which an accused person is tried <the conspiracy trial involved the prosecution of seven defendants>.

Quash

To annul or make void; to terminate <quash an indictment> <quash proceedings>.

Racketeering

A pattern of illegal activity (such as bribery, extortion, fraud, and murder) carried out as part of an enterprise (such as a crime syndicate) that is owned or controlled by those engaged in the illegal activity. The modern sense derives from the federal RICO statute, which greatly broadened the term's original sense to include such activities as mail fraud, securities fraud, and the collection of illegal gambling debts.

Rape

Unlawful sexual activity (esp. intercourse) with a person (usually a female) without consent and usually by force or threat of injury. Most modern state statutes have broadened the definition along these lines. Rape includes unlawful sexual intercourse without consent after the perpetrator has substantially impaired his victim by administering, without the victim's knowledge or consent, drugs or intoxicants for the purpose of preventing resistance. It also includes unlawful sexual intercourse with a person who is unconscious.

Receiving Stolen Property

The criminal offense of acquiring or controlling property known to have been stolen by another person.

Reckless

Characterized by the creation of a substantial and unjustifiable risk of harm to others and by a conscious (and sometimes deliberate) disregard for or indifference to that risk; heedless; rash. Reckless conduct is much more than mere negligence: it is a gross deviation from what a reasonable person would do.

Reckless Endangerment

The criminal offense of putting another person at substantial risk of death or serious injury. This is a statutory, not a common-law, offense.

Remand

The act or an instance of sending something (such as a case, claim, or person) back for further action. An order remanding a case, claim, or person.

Resisting Arrest

The crime of obstructing or opposing a police officer who is making an arrest.

Restitution

In criminal cases, one of the penalties imposed is requiring return of stolen goods to the victim or payment to the victim for harm caused. Restitution may

be a condition of granting a defendant probation or giving him/her a shorter sentence than normal according to Law.com.

Restraining Order

A court order prohibiting family violence; esp., an order restricting a person from harassing, threatening, and sometimes merely contacting or approaching another specified person. This type of order is issued most commonly in cases of domestic violence.

Robbery

The illegal taking of property from the person of another, or in the person's

presence, by violence or intimidation; aggravated larceny. Robbery is usually a felony, but some jurisdictions classify some robberies as high misdemeanors.

Sealing of Records

The practice or an instance of officially preventing access to particular (esp. juvenile-criminal) records, in the absence of a court order.

Sedition

An agreement, communication, or other preliminary activity aimed at inciting treason or some lesser commotion against public authority.

Sentence

The judgment that a court formally pronounces after finding a criminal defendant guilty; the punishment imposed on a criminal wrongdoer <a sentence of 20 years in prison>.

Separation

The act of dividing, parting, or keeping apart <the separation of parent from child>.

Sexual Abuse

Illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent (as because of age or physical or mental incapacity) or who places the assailant (such as a

doctor) in a position of trust or authority (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Slander

A defamatory assertion expressed in a transitory form, esp. speech; esp., false and defamatory words that are said in reference to another, such as those charging criminal conduct, imputing a horrible or loathsome disease, alleging malfeasance or incompetence in reference to the person's professional responsibilities, or otherwise causing special damage to the person's reputation.

Solicitation - Criminal

The criminal offense of urging, advising, commanding, or otherwise inciting another to commit a crime <convicted of solicitation of murder>. Solicitation is an inchoate offense distinct from the solicited crime.

Statutory Rape

Sexual intercourse with a person who is below the statutory age of consent (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

Stay of Execution

The postponement or halting of a proceeding, judgment, or the like.

Stet Docket

An order staying legal proceedings, as when a prosecutor determines not to proceed on an indictment and places the case on a stet docket.

Suspended Sentence

A sentence postponed so that the convicted criminal is not required to serve time unless he or she commits another crime or violates some other court- imposed condition. A suspended sentence, in effect, is a form of probation.

Also termed as withheld sentence.

Theft

The wrongful taking and removing of another's personal property with the intent of depriving the true owner of it; larceny.

Threat

A communicated intent to inflict harm or loss on another or on another's property, esp. one that might diminish a person's freedom to act voluntarily or with lawful consent; a declaration, express or implied, of an intent to inflict loss

or pain on another <a kidnapper's threats of violence>.

Trespass

An unlawful act committed against the person or property of another; esp., wrongful entry on another's real property.

Under the Influence

Deprived of clearness of mind and self-control because of drugs or alcohol.

Unlawful Detainer

The unjustifiable retention of the possession of real property by one whose original entry was lawful, as when a tenant holds over after lease termination despite the landlord's demand for possession.

Unlawful Entry

The crime of intentionally entering another's real property, by fraud or other illegal means, without the owner's consent.

Urine Specimen

Urine collected from an employee at the collection site for the purpose of a drug test. (DOT Rule 49 CFR Part 40 Section 40.3)

Usury

Historically, the lending of money with interest. Today, the charging of an illegal rate of interest as a condition to lending money.

Vacate

To nullify or cancel; make void; invalidate <the court vacated the judgment>.

Vehicular Homicide

The killing of a person as a result of the unlawful or negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Venue

The proper or a possible place for a lawsuit to proceed, usually because the place has some connection either with the events that gave rise to the lawsuit or with the plaintiff or defendant.

Verdict

A jury's finding or decision on the factual issues of a case.

Violation

An infraction or breach of the law; a transgression.

Voluntary Dismissal

A plaintiff's dismissal of a lawsuit at the plaintiff's own request or by stipulation of all the parties.

Waiver

The voluntary relinquishment or abandonment — express or implied — of a legal right or advantage.

Wanton

Unreasonably or maliciously risking harm while being utterly indifferent to the consequences. In criminal law, wanton usually connotes malice (in the criminal-law sense), while reckless does not.

Warrant

A writ directing or authorizing someone to do an act, esp. one directing a law enforcer to make an arrest, a search, or a seizure.

Work Release Program

A correctional program allowing prison inmates — primarily those being readied for discharge — to hold jobs outside prison.

Youthful Offender

A person in late adolescence or early adulthood who has been convicted of a crime.