Criminal Defense Terms and Definitions

Assault A willful attempt to illegally inflict injury on or threaten a person. Search warrant An order issued by a judge or magistrate commanding a sheriff, constable, or other officer to search a specified location. Circumstantial evidence All evidence of an indirect nature. Testimony not based on actual personal knowledge or observation of the facts in controversy. Restitution Court-ordered payment to restore goods or money to the victim of a crime by the offender. Allegation The assertion, declaration, or statement of a party to an action, made in a pleading, establishing what the party expects to prove. 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. Levy A seizure; the obtaining of money by legal process through seizure and sale of property. Fourth Amendment The 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects every person against unreasonable search and seizure by government officials. Admissible evidence Evidence which can legally and properly be used in court. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Methods of resolving disputes outside of official court proceedings. These methods include mediation arbitration, and conciliation.

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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.