Topics in Criminal Justice : General Resources

Accusation: A formal charge of criminal wrongdoing.

Acquittal: The legal certification, usually by jury verdict, that an accused person is not guilty of the charged offense.

Arraignment: The initial step in a criminal prosecution whereby the defendant is brought before the court to hear the charges and to enter a plea.

Burden of Proof: A party's duty to prove a disputed assertion or charge.

Crime: An act that the law makes punishable; the breach of a legal duty treated as the subject-matter of a criminal proceeding.

Double Jeopardy: The fact of being prosecuted or sentenced twice for substantially the same offense.

Due Process: The conduct of legal proceedings according to established rules and principles for the protection and enforcement of private rights, including notice and the right to a fair hearing before a tribunal with the power to decide the case.               

Felony: A serious crime usually punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or by death.           

Guilty: A plea of a criminal defendant who does not contest the charges; or, a jury verdict convicting the defendant of the crime charged.

Indictment: The formal written accusation of a crime, made by a grand jury and presented to a court for prosecution against the accused person.

Misdemeanor: A crime that is less serious than a felony and is usually punishable by fine, penalty, forfeiture, or confinement (usually for a brief term) in a place other than prison (such as a county jail).

All definitions come from Black’s Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019).