Criminal Law Exam 1 Flashcards
law
the federal, state, or local enactments of legislative bodies; the known decisions of the courts of the federal and state governments; rules and regulations proclaimed by government bodies; and proclamations by executives of the federal, state, or local government
Common law
Law created by judicial opinion. Historically, law from America’s colonial and English past, which has set precedents that are still sometimes followed today.
statutory law
Law created through state and federal legislatures
criminal law
Law that involves the violation of public rights and duties, creating a social harm
civil law
Law that deals with matters considered to be private concerns between individuals
Tort
A civil violation; the civil law’s equivalent of a crime.
actus reus
a willful unlawful act.
mens rea
a guilty mind, or intent
Legality
The principle that no once can be punished for an act that was not defined as criminal before the person did the act
Model Penal Code (MPC)
A comprehensive recodifications of the principles of American criminal responsibility
Jurisdiction
The power or authority of a court to act with respect to any case before it.
Federalism
The system of government of the United States whereby all power resides in the state governments unless specifically granted to the federal government
Probable cause
Evidence that there is a fair probability that the suspect committed a crime; required for an arrest of a suspect by a law enforcement officer.
Recognizance
a promise to appear in court
bail
a deposit of cash, other property, or a bond, guaranteeing the accused will appear in court
Bond
A written promise to pay the bail sum, posted by a financially responsible person, usually a professional bail bond agent
preliminary hearing
a post-arrest, pretrial judicial proceeding at which the judge decides whether there is probable cause to prosecute the accused. In some jurisdictions, the preliminary hearing is minimal; in others, it is a mintrial
grand jury
A panel of persons chosen through strict court procedures to review criminal investigations and, in some instances, to conduct criminal investigation. Grand juries decide whether to charge crimes in the cases presented to them or investigated by them.
Indictment
The paper issued by a grand jury that charges an accused with a felony
information
The paper issued by a prosecutor that charges an accused of a felony
Arraignment and plea
The defendant’s appearance to respond formally to the charges
Habeas corpus
Literally, “you have the body”. A legal action separate from the criminal case, it can be brought only by a prisoner who has exhausted all the usual appellate remedies
Bill of Rights
The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, especially those portions that guarantee fundamental individuals rights vis-a-vis the government
Procedural criminal law
The rules governing how the criminal law is administered
Due process
The multiple criminal justice procedures and processes that must be followed before a person can be legally deprived of his or her life, liberty, or property
Equal protection
The constitutional provision that all people should be treated equally with respect to the practice dealt with by the law.
bill of retainer
A special legislative enactment that declares a person or group of persons guilty of a crime and subject to punishment without trial
Ex post facto law
A law that: 1) makes criminal an act done before passage of the law against it and punishes such action; 2) aggravates a crime or makes it greater than it was when committed; or 3) inflicts a greater punishment than the law imposed or allows evidence of guilt that is less than what the law required at the time the offense was committed.
Fair notice
The due process requirement that people are entitled to know what they are forbidden to do so that they may shape their conduct accordingly
Substantive criminal law
The law defining acts that are criminal
The clear and present danger test
A test to determine whether a defendant’s words pose an immediate danger of bringing about substantive evils that Congress has the right (and duty) to prevent
Proportionality
The constitutional principle that the punishment should fit the crime, expressed in the Eighth Amendment’s cruel and unusual punishment clause.
Crime
An act or omission that the law makes punishable, generally by fine, penalty, forfeiture, or confinement
Tort
A wrongful act that results in injury and leaves the injured party entitled to compensation
Felony
A serious crime that is usually punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or by death
Misdemeanor
A crime that is less serious than a felony and is usually punishable by fine, penalty, forfeiture, or confinement in a jail for less than on year.
Petty offense
A minor or insignificant crime, also known as a violation or infraction
Omissions
Narrowly defined circumstances in which a failure to act is viewed as a criminal act.
Possessory offenses
Criminal offenses in which the law defines possession as an act
Motive
The emotion that prompts a person to act. It is not an element of a crime that is required to prove criminal liability, but is often shown in order to identify the perpetrator of a crime or explain his or her reason for acting
Specific intent
The intention to commit an act for the purpose of doing some additional future act, to achieve some further consequences, or with the awareness of a statutory attendant circumstance
General intent
The intent only to do the actus reus of the crime, without any of the elements of specific intent
Transferred intent
A doctrine that holds a person criminally liable even when the consequence of his or her action is not what the actor actually intended