Criminal Defense Terms and Definitions

Levy A seizure; the obtaining of money by legal process through seizure and sale of property. Restitution Court-ordered payment to restore goods or money to the victim of a crime by the offender. Search warrant An order issued by a judge or magistrate commanding a sheriff, constable, or other officer to search a specified location. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Methods of resolving disputes outside of official court proceedings. These methods include mediation arbitration, and conciliation. Miranda rule The rule, pronounced in Miranda v. Arizona, that confessions are inadmissible in a criminal prosecution if the police do not advise the suspect in custody of certain rights before questioning. Abstract of record A short, abbreviated form of the case as found in the record. Admissible evidence Evidence which can legally and properly be used in court. 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. 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.

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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.