Criminal Justice Terms and Concepts, Quizzes of Criminal Justice

Download Criminal Justice Terms and Concepts and more Quizzes Criminal Justice in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 State court of limited jurisdiction DEFINITION 1 Generic term referring to courts that have jurisdiction over misdemeanors and conduct preliminary investigations of felony charges. TERM 2 Courts of general jurisdiction DEFINITION 2 A state or federal court that has jurisdiction over felony offense and more serious civil cases( i.e involving more than a dollar amount set by the legislature) TERM 3 Appellate court DEFINITION 3 A court that reconsiders a case that has already been tried in order to determine whether the measures used complied with accepted rules of criminal procedure and were in line with constitutional doctrines. TERM 4 Indigent DEFINITION 4 without the means to hire an attorney. TERM 5 Venire DEFINITION 5 the group called for jury duty from which jury panels are selected. TERM 6 Voir dire DEFINITION 6 the process in which a potential jury panel is questioned by the prosecution and the defense in order to select jurors who are unbiased and objective. TERM 7 Challenge for cause DEFINITION 7 removing a juror because he or she is biased or has prior knowledge about a case, or for other reasons that demonstrate the individuals inability to render a fair and impartial judgment in a case. TERM 8 Peremptory challenge DEFINITION 8 the dismissal of a potential juror by either the prosecution or the defense for unexplained, discretionary reasons. TERM 9 Preponderance of the evidence DEFINITION 9 the level of proof in civil cases; more than half the evidence supports the allegations of one side. TERM 10 Proof beyond a reasonable doubt DEFINITION 10 The standard of proof needed to convict in a criminal case. The evidence offered in court does not have amount to absolute certainty, but should leave no reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the alleged crime. TERM 21 Gideon v. Wainwright DEFINITION 21 the 1963 us supreme court case granted counsel to indigent defendats in felony prosecutions. TERM 22 North carolina V. pearce DEFINITION 22 in this case, the us supreme court held that a judge in a retrial cannot impose a sentence more severe than that originally imposded. In other words, a prosecutor cannot seek a stricter sentence for a defendant who succeeds in getting her first conviction set aside. TERM 23 blackledge v. perry DEFINITION 23 the u.s. supreme court found that imposing a penalty on a defendant for having successfully pursued a statutory right of appeal is a violation of due process of law and amounts to prosecutorial vindictiveness. TERM 24 bordenkircher v. hayes DEFINITION 24 in this case, the court allowed the prosecutor to carry out threats of increased charges made during plea negotiations when the defendant refused to plead guilty to theoriginalcharge. TERM 25 six amendment DEFINITION 25 right to public trial, right to trial by a jury, right toconfrontationof witness. TERM 26 court of last resort DEFINITION 26 a court that handles the final appeal on a matter. the us supreme court is the official court of last resort for criminal matters. TERM 27 writ of certiorari DEFINITION 27 an order of superior court requesting that the record of an inferior court( or administrative body) be brought forward for review or inspection TERM 28 landmark decision DEFINITION 28 adecisionhanded down by the us supreme court that becomes the law of the land and serves as a precedent for resolving similar legal issues. TERM 29 jury trial DEFINITION 29 the process of deciding a case by a group of persons selected and sworn in a serve as jurors at a criminal trial, often as a 6- or 12- person jury. TERM 30 U. S Magistrate judge DEFINITION 30 a federal trial judge who isappointedby a district court judge and who presides over various civil cases the the consent of the parties and over certain misdemeanor cases. TERM 31 prosecutor DEFINITION 31 representative of the state (executative branch) in criminal proceedings; the people's attorney, who is responsible forrepresentedthe public in criminal matters. TERM 32 public defender DEFINITION 32 an attorney usually employed (at no cost to the accused) by the government to represent poor persons accused of a crime. TERM 33 adversarial procedure DEFINITION 33 the process of publicly pitting the prosecution and the defense against one another in pursuit of the truth TERM 34 assigned counsel DEFINITION 34 a lawyer appointed by the court to represent a defendant in a criminal case because the person is too poor to hire counsel TERM 35 contract system (attorney) DEFINITION 35 providing counsel toindigentoffenders by having attorneys under contract to the county handle all(or some) such cases. TERM 46 presentment DEFINITION 46 the report of grand jury investigation, which usually includes a recommendation of indictment. TERM 47 no bill DEFINITION 47 the action by agrandjury when it votes not to indict an accused suspect. TERM 48 information DEFINITION 48 a written accusation submitted to the court by a prosecutor, alleging that a particularindividualcommitted the offense in question. TERM 49 preliminary hearing DEFINITION 49 a hearing that occurs in lieu of grand jury hearing, when the prosecutor charges via information. Three issues are decided:whether a crime was committed, whether the court has jurisdicction over the case, and whether there is sufficient probable cause to believe the defendant committed the alleged crime. TERM 50 plea bargaining DEFINITION 50 nonjudicial settlement of a case in which the defendent exchanges a guilty plea for some consideration, such as a reduced sentence. TERM 51 diversion DEFINITION 51 a noncriminal alternative to trial, usually featuringcounseling, job training, andeducationalopportunities. TERM 52 bench trial DEFINITION 52 the trial of a criminal matter by a judge only. the acused waives any constitutional right to trial by jury. TERM 53 verdict DEFINITION 53 a finding of a jury or a judge on questions of fact at a trial. TERM 54 adjudication DEFINITION 54 the determination of guilt or innocence; a judgement concerning criminal charges. The majority of offenders charged plead guilty;is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between the parties involved. TERM 55 missouri plan DEFINITION 55 the state of missouri pioneered a nonpartism method of selection judges. used by 30 states.