Criminal Defense Terms and Definitions

Battery Actual physical violence, whether serious or minor, inflicted on a person. (A mere threat is called assault, whereas the completed act is called battery) Accessory A person who assists in the commission of a crime, either before or after the fact. Misdemeanor A minor offense, lower than a felony, which is punishable by a county jail term of up to one year and/or a fine, but not prison. Misdemeanors are classified into three categories: Class A, B, and C. Admissible evidence Evidence which can legally and properly be used in court. Abstract of record A short, abbreviated form of the case as found in the record. Bench warrant An order issued by the court for the arrest of a person Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Methods of resolving disputes outside of official court proceedings. These methods include mediation arbitration, and conciliation. Fourteenth Amendment Among other matters, the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without adequate due process. Embezzlement The fraudulent appropriation by a person to his own use or benefit of property or money entrusted to him by another. Assault A willful attempt to illegally inflict injury on or threaten a person.

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	Did You Know?
	Res Ipsa Loquitur - Literally, "a thing that speaks for itself." In tort law, the doctrine which holds a defendant guilty of negligence without an actual showing that he or she was negligent. Its use is limited in theory to cases in which the cause of the plaintiff's injury was entirely under the control of the defendant, and the injury presumably could have been caused only by negligence.