What is an arraignment? | Stage of the criminal process in which the defendant is formally informed of the charges and is allowed to enter a plea. |
Define arrest. | Physical taking into custody of a suspected law violator. |
Define assault. | Violent attempt or threat to hurt another. |
What is bail? | Security (money or bail bond) given as a guarantee that a released prisoner will appear at trial. |
What is a bench warrant? | Order issued by the court itself, or from the bench, for the arrest of a person; it is not based (as is an arrest warrant) on a probable cause showing that a person has committed a crime, but only on the person |
What is a bond? | Security (money or bail bond) given as a guarantee that a released prisoner will appear at trial. |
What is a booking? | Process of photographing, fingerprinting, and recording a suspect's identifying data subsequent to arrest. |
Define ''bound over''. | If, at the preliminary hearing, the judge believes that sufficient probable cause exists to hold a criminal defendant, the accused is said to be bound over for trial. Also called a bind over. |
What is a capias? | Bench warrant. A bench warrant is an order issued by a court to arrest someone for failure to appear in court as directed. |
What is a charge? | In criminal justice, an allegation that one or more specified person(s) committed a specific offense. |
What is a charging document? | Information, indictment, or com-plaint that states the formal criminal charge against one or more named defendant(s). |
What is a clearance rate? | Percentage of crimes known to the police that they believe they have solved through an arrest. |
What is a complaint? | In civil law, the first paper filed in a lawsuit. In criminal law, a charge signed by the victim that a person named has committed a specified offense. |
What is corporal punishment? | Punishment applied to the body, such as whipping or branding. |
Define crime. | Any violation of the criminal law. |
Who is a defendant? | Person against whom a lawsuit or prosecution is brought. |
What is the exclusionary rule? | Judiciary-created rule holding that evidence obtained through violations of the constitutional rights of the criminal defendant must be excluded from the trial. |
What is extradition? | Legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by officials of one state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed. |
What did the Supreme Court hold in Gideon v. Wainwright? | U. S. Supreme Court ruling (1963) that an indigent defendant charged in a state court with any non-capital felony has the right to counsel under the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. |
Grand jury? | Group of citizens who decide if persons accused of crimes should be indicted (true bill) or not (no true bill). |
What are index crimes? | Specific crimes used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in reporting the incidence of crime in the United States in the Uniform Crime Reports. |
What is an indictment? | A grand jury's formal accusation of a criminal offense made against a person. |
Define indigent. | Person who is too poor to hire a lawyer. |
What is an information? | Formal accusation charging someone with the commission of a crime, signed by a prosecuting attorney, that has the effect of bringing the person to trial. |
What is an initial appearance? | Appearance before a judge during which the accused is informed of the charges, given his or her constitutional rights, informed of the amount of bail, and given a date for a preliminary hearing. |
Define insanity. | Lack of criminal responsibility. A defect of reason caused by a disease of the mind such that a per-son did not know at the time of an act that the act was wrong and/ or did not know the nature and quality of the act, according to a prevailing legal doctrine. |
What is a jail? | Local, municipal, or county institution used to house those awaiting trial, those convicted of a misdemeanor, and those convicted of a felony and awaiting transfer to a prison. |
What did the Supreme Court hold in Mapp v. Ohio? | U. S. Supreme Court ruling (1961) that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment must be excluded from use in state as well as federal trials. |
What did the Supreme Court hold in Miranda v. Arizona? | U. S. Supreme Court decision (1966) holding that, prior to interrogation, the police must inform the suspect of his or her right to remain silent. |
What is a no true bill? | The decision of a grand jury not to indict a person for a crime. |
What is a preliminary hearing? | Pretrial hearing to determine if there is probable cause to hold the accused for the grand jury. |
What is preventive detention? | Holding a defendant in custody pending trial in the belief that he or she is likely to commit further criminal acts or fee the jurisdiction. |
What is probable cause? | Standard used to determine if a crime has been committed and if there is sufficient evidence to believe a specific individual committed it. |
Who is a prosecutor? | Public official who represents the state in a criminal action. |
What is recognizance? | The releasing of an accused person from custody without requiring a property or money bond. |
What is release on recognizance (ROR)? | Release of an accused from jail on his or her own obligation rather than on a monetary bond. |
What is robbery? | Unlawful taking or attempted taking of property that is in the immediate possession of another, by force or the threat of force. |
What is a search warrant? | Written order, issued by judicial authority, directing a law enforcement officer to search for personal property and, if found, to bring it before the court. |
What is statutory rape? | Carnal knowledge of a child below the age fixed by statute. The child lacks legal capacity to consent, so the crime can be committed where no force is used. |
What is a true bill? | Bill of indictment by a grand jury. |
What are Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)? | Annual statistical tabulation of ''crimes known to the police'' and ''crimes cleared by arrest,'' published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. |
What is a warrant? | Writ, issued by a court, authorizing the seizure of a certain person or a certain property. |