Criminal Defense Terms and Definitions

Burglary The unlawful breaking into or entering of a building or dwelling with the intent to commit a serious crime or theft. Levy A seizure; the obtaining of money by legal process through seizure and sale of property. Bench warrant An order issued by the court for the arrest of a person Abstract of record A short, abbreviated form of the case as found in the record. Search warrant An order issued by a judge or magistrate commanding a sheriff, constable, or other officer to search a specified location. Manslaughter A person recklessly causes the death of another, or acting under extreme emotional disturbance, causes the death of another, or acting under circumstances when a person reasonably believes the circumstances provide a legal justification or excuse for his conduct constitutes manslaughter. Fraud An intentional perversion of truth; deceitful practice or device resorted to with intent to deprive another of property or other right. 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. Felony A felony is a major crime for which the maximum imprisonment is more than one year in a state correctional institution. The court may also impose a fine. Felonies are classified into four categories: capital, 1st degree, 2nd degree, and 3rd degree 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)

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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.