Criminal Defense Terms and Definitions

Search warrant An order issued by a judge or magistrate commanding a sheriff, constable, or other officer to search a specified location. Embezzlement The fraudulent appropriation by a person to his own use or benefit of property or money entrusted to him by another. 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. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Methods of resolving disputes outside of official court proceedings. These methods include mediation arbitration, and conciliation. Fraud An intentional perversion of truth; deceitful practice or device resorted to with intent to deprive another of property or other right. Misdemeanor A minor offense, lower than a felony, which is punishable by a county jail term of up to one year and/or a fine, but not prison. Misdemeanors are classified into three categories: Class A, B, and C. Accessory A person who assists in the commission of a crime, either before or after the fact. Battery Actual physical violence, whether serious or minor, inflicted on a person. (A mere threat is called assault, whereas the completed act is called battery) Fourth Amendment The 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects every person against unreasonable search and seizure by government officials.

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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.