Key Terms 3 Flashcards
What is ‘Beyond a Reasonable Doubt’?
The degree of proof required to find the defendant in a criminal trial guilty of committing the crime. The defendant’s guilt must be the only reasonable explanation for the criminal act before the court.
What is Civil Law?
The branch of law dealing with the definition and enforcement of all private or public rights, as opposed to criminal matters.
What does ‘Dark Figure of Crime’ refer to?
A term used to describe the actual amount of crime that takes place, which is impossible to detect because many crimes are never reported to the police.
Who is a Defendant?
In a civil court, the person or institution against whom an action is brought. In a criminal court, the person or entity who has been formally accused of violating a criminal law.
What is Domestic Violence?
The act of willful neglect or physical violence that occurs within a familial or other intimate relationship.
What is a Felony?
A serious crime, usually punishable by death or imprisonment for a year or longer.
What is an Infraction?
In most jurisdictions, a noncriminal offense for which the penalty is a fine rather than incarceration.
What does Liability mean in a civil court?
Legal responsibility for one’s own or another’s actions.
What is ‘Mala in Se’?
A descriptive term for acts that are inherently wrong, regardless of whether they are prohibited by law.
What is ‘Mala Prohibita’?
A descriptive term for acts that are made illegal by criminal statute and are not necessarily wrong in and of themselves.
What is a Misdemeanor?
A criminal offense that is not a felony; usually punishable by a fine/jail term of less than one year.
What are Part I Offenses?
Crimes reported annually by the FBI in its Uniform Crime Report, including murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft.
What are Part II Offenses?
All crimes recorded by the FBI that do not fall into the category of Part I offenses, including both misdemeanors and felonies.
Who is a Plaintiff?
The person or institution that initiates a lawsuit in civil court proceedings by filing a complaint.
What is Preponderance of the Evidence?
The degree of proof required to decide in favor of one side or the other in a civil case, generally met when a plaintiff proves that a fact more likely than not is true.
What is Repeat Victimization?
The theory that certain people and places are more likely to be subject to repeated criminal activity, with past victimization being a strong indicator of future victimization.
What is a Self-Reported Survey?
A method of gathering crime data that relies on participants to reveal and detail their own criminal or delinquent behavior.
What is Stalking?
The criminal act of causing fear in a person by repeatedly subjecting that person to unwanted or threatening attention.
What is the Uniform Crime Report (UCR)?
An annual report compiled by the FBI to give an indication of criminal activity in the United States.
What are Victim Surveys?
A method of gathering crime data that directly surveys participants to determine their experiences as victims of crime.
