Tennessee Criminal Justice Summit



Glossary

Affidavit - A written statement of fact signed and sworn to before a person having authority to administer an oath.
 
Arrest - The seizing of a person and detaining him/her in custody by lawful authority.
 
Assault - A threatening gesture, with our without verbal communication.
 
Battery - An unlawful touching, beating, wounding or laying hold of a person.
 
Certiorari - An original writ or action whereby a cause is removed from an inferior to a superior court for review.
 
Court - An institution for the resolving of disputes.  A place where justice is administered accordingly.
 
Contempt - An willful disregard or disobedience of public authority.
 
Conviction - The finding or an instance of finding somebody guilty or of being found guilty of a crime.
 
Criminal Law - Jurisprudence concerning crimes and their punishment.
 
Defendant - A person against whom an action is brought, a warrant is issued or an indictment is found.
 
Detainer - A writ authorizing that somebody in custody may be confined for a further period.
 
Felony - A type of crime, which is of a relatively serious nature, usually various offenses in various jurisdictions for which the maximum penalty can be death or imprisonment in the state penitentiary regardless of such lesser penalty as may in fact be imposed.
 
Habeas Corpus - A writ issued in order to bring somebody who has been detained into court, usually for a decision on whether the detention is lawful.
 
Indictment - A written accusation that one or more persons have committed a crime, presented upon oath by a grand jury.
 
Inmate - A person confined in a prison or jail.
 
Jail - A secure place for keeping people found guilty of minor crimes or awaiting legal judgment.
 
Judge - A public official with authority to determine a cause or question in a court of justice and preside over the proceedings therein.
 
Jurisprudence - Theory of law:  the philosophy or science of law.  Legal System:  a system of law or the body of laws applied in a particular country or state.
 
Jurisdiction - The authority of a court to hear and decide an action or lawsuit.  The geographical district over which the power of a court extends.
 
Jury - A body of citizens sworn to deliver a true verdict upon evidence submitted to them in a judicial proceeding.
 
Mens Rea - Criminal Intent:  prior intention to commit a criminal act, without necessarily knowing that the act is a crime.  For all but some minor statutory offenses, mens rea is basic to establishing the actual guilt of somebody alleged to have committed a crime.
 
Misdemeanor - Any crime or offense not amounting to a felony.
 
Mittimus - An official order to send a person to prison.
 
Parole - Supervised suspension of the execution of a person's sentence, and release from prison, conditional upon their continued compliance with the terms of parole.  A regular part of the rehabilitation process.  Assuming good behavior, it is the normal expectation in the vast majority of cases.  Statutes generally specify when a prisoner will be eligible to be considered for parole and detail the standards and procedures applicable.
 
P.A.W.S. - Puppies Achieving Worthy Service (inmate rehabilitation program)
 
Penitentiary - A prison, especially for people who have been convicted of serious crimes.
 
Plaintiff - A person who initiates a legal action against another person (defendant).
 
P.R.E.A. - Prison Rape Elimination Act (2003).
 
Prison - A secure place where somebody is confined as punishment for a crime or while waiting to stand trial.
 
Probable Cause - A reasonable ground for suspicion, supported by circumstances sufficiently strong to warrant a cautious person to believe that an accused person is guilty of the offense which he/she is charged.
 
Probation - The supervision of the behavior of a young or first-time criminal offender by a probation officer.  During the period of supervision, the offender must regularly report to the probation officer and must not commit any further offenses.
 
Rehabilitate - To help somebody to return to good health or a normal life by providing training or therapy.
 
Respondent - A party against whom a motion is filed in the course of a lawsuit; analogous to a defendant or an appellee.
 
Stare Decisis - To stand by decided cases.  To follow precedent.
 
Statute - A law established by a legislative body.
 
S.V.O.R.I. - Serious Violent Offender Re-entry Initiative (Department of Justice Grant)
 
V.O.I./T.I.S. - Violate Offender Incarceration and Truth- In- Sentence (Department of Justice Grant)
 
Warden - The principal officer in charge of a prison.
 
Writ - A written court order demanding that the addressee do or stop doing whatever is specified in the order.