Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

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AP-Master
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Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by AP-Master »

Greetings people :dekiller: Before anything you should notice the little sentence that is in my signature... I am not an English native speaker so I may screw up here and there :S

I had an idea of this glossary we could create in which we name and explain different criminal/legal terms for people to use them when creating their trials.
Medical Terminology
Blunt Force Trauma: A wound that is caused by blunt (not sharp) object which can lead to severe damage of internal organs and possibly blood loss. Requires significant force to kill instantly, may alternatively cause unconsciousness or brain damage. Can cause near instant death, especially if head is damaged, but death due to crushed ribs, etc is not unheard of.

Sharp Force Trauma/Puncture Wound: Also known as "stabbing." A type of wound that is caused when a sharp object (like a knife) that penetrates through soft tissue and, if deep enough, internal organs causing blood loss. Can be lethal. Most commonly occurs in the torso. Generally results in slow death through internal bleeding, but proper placement (i.e. heart, large artery) and enough force can result in near instant death.
Forensic Tools
Fingerprint Powder: A tool that is used to reveal invisible latent fingerprints in surfaces (such as the grip of a knife), which can then be collected via tape and stored for evidence. One simply sprinkles on powder and brushes away the extra, with some powder sticking to the oils in the print. In addition to fingerprints, it can pick up toe prints, palm prints and anything else caused by skin oils. The most basic tool in forensic science, it comes in many different types. Aluminum powders are among the most common.

Luminol: a chemical substance used to spot blood. When the luminol comes in contact with blood or other bodily fluids and exposed to a black light, it will glow blue. Because luminol reacts to proteins, it cannot definitively prove whether a stain is blood or not, but it can detect such stains even if they are wiped away and invisible to the naked eye.
Crimes
Murder: A crime that consists of one person killing another in an illegal manner. This is the most recurrent (if not THE) crime in the AA world. A capital crime (punishable by death), murder is often punished with long prison sentences, especially if paired up with another crime (kidnapping, arson, another murder...). Murder should not be confused with homicide, which is simply the killing of another human being, including accidental killings, manslaughter, justified self-defense, etc. In the United States, murder may be first, second or third degree. First degree is the worst, and is often a cold-blooded, premeditated affair. Most AA murders are first-degree, as there is some amount of planning in advanced. Standard punishments for first-degree murder are death or 25 years to life, often without parole. Third-degree murder often overlaps with manslaughter.

Manslaughter: A crime which is a sub-degree of homicide in which one person kills another in a way which, while illegal, does not constitute murder. Such circumstances include (sometimes) crimes of passion, justified rage (both of which would be voluntary manslaughter), instances where a death occurred due to a non-violent crime and criminal negligence. Manslaughter is divided into two categories: Voluntary and involuntary. Punishments for voluntary manslaughter are often 3-6 years in prison, while involuntary may only result in fines and probation.

Justified self-defense: A plea in which the defendant claims to have committed the aggression in order to protect his/her life or that of another. This plea significantly decreases the amount of time in jail, compared to being convicted with a not guilty plea. Pure self-defense is considered 'justifiable homicide' and carries no penalty. Other instances may result in the lesser crime of manslaughter. In some states, merely protecting one's property (such as by shooting a burglar) will count as self-defense.

Larceny/Thievery: A crime consisting of taking another person's property without the victim's permission. Also known as 'stealing'. One of the lesser felonies, larceny is usually punished with less than ten years in prison. However, as many thieves commit more than one crime, their sentences may still be large. Grand larceny is a felony, and requires the stolen property to be worth more than $250. Lesser larcenies are misdemeanors. Someone with the uncontrollable urge to steal things is known as a kleptomaniac.

Blackmail: A crime of coercion. A person (known as the blackmailer) attempts to force someone into doing something by threatening him/her into revealing a secret of the victim, which may lead to personal embarrassment, criminal prosecution or physical harm. Blackmail for money falls under extortion. In fiction, many a murder victim has in fact been killed by a person they were blackmailing.

Legal Terminology
Double Jeopardy: A legal term for a defendant being charged twice for the same crime. Double jeopardy is forbidden by the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, and is banned by normal law in most other countries. In practice, this means that once a defendant has been acquitted for a crime, he/she cannot be tried again for the same crime in any court. Thus, if a defendant is found "Not Guilty", he/she cannot be tried again, even if new evidence is found. They can still be tried for other crimes, including lying to police, if necessary, or be charged in a civil suit (read: lawsuit). This does not apply to "Guilty" verdicts, which can (and are) appealed and may be overturned at any time. In short, the defense gets many tries to disprove the prosecution's case, but the prosecutor only gets one.

"Pleading the Fifth": A right that is given to a person, allowing him/her to refuse to testify if they believe it will incriminate them. This cannot be taken as a sign of guilt. Said right is the infamous "right to remain silent" and is protected by the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, although the term has appeared in other countries as well. Under no circumstances may a defendant be forced to testify, however in AA world a witness may be ordered to testify about subjects which do not incriminate them, under the penalty of "contempt of court".

Modus Operandi: Latin for "Method of Operation." The specific method of operation of a criminal. Repetitive criminals often have a signature style in how they commit crimes, such as always breaking into a house by opening a window with a crowbar. Determining a person's M.O. can connect them to otherwise separate crimes.

Corpus Delicti: Latin for "The body of the crime" requires that a crime must be proven to have been committed before a person may be convicted of that crime.
Last edited by AP-Master on Sun Apr 21, 2013 5:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by Meph »

This is a great idea. :) Although I can't think of any more jargon at the top of my head. :XD:
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by AP-Master »

Yay, I got that it was great from the moderator himself! Now, I am going to start the glossary with a few terms.

Forensic Tools
Fingerprint Powder: a powder that is used to reveal fingerprints in surfaces (on the grip of a knife for example), which are then collected and, usually, stored for evidence. Beyond of what the name suggests, it can also pick up toe prints. The most basic tool in forensic science.

Luminol: a chemical substance used to spot blood. When the luminol touches blood (even if it is wiped and hidden to the naked eye), it will glow blue.

Crimes
Murder: a crime that consists of one person killing another. This is the most recurrent (if not THE) crime in the AA world. Punishable with the death sentence, usually if paired up with another crime (kidnapping, another murder...) [Um... If someone could add and explain the thing that says "It is a capital crime" or something like that, I'm asking since I don't understand what it means (in english words)]

Larceny/Thievery:
consists of taking another person's property without the victim's permission (in a sneaky, unlawful way in other words -w-). [Needs clarification on the punishment]
Blackmail: coercing someone into doing something, threatening him/her of revealing his/her secret (or something else of privacy) if not done. Minor crime (I think... to be sure [needs clarification] :P)

Well there you have another pair of examples. As you could notice I use the "[]" if I need help from the people seeing to fix it, clarify it, etc. If other people submit things, I'll start filling the first post...
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by Mick »

That's a good idea! I'm currently planning an English trial and I'm not entirely sure about some terms, this is gonna help, I hope.
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by AP-Master »

Adding two more concepts, and also bumping this up :S

Double Jeopardy: a court rule that establishes that: once a defendant has been acquitted for a crime, he/she cannot be tried again for the same crime in any court (same thing doesn't apply to the guilty verdict, so you know).

"Pleading the Fifth": a right that is given to the defendant, allowing him to refuse to testify (and cannot be forced, for the same matter). As a note, in the real world, only the defendant can use this right and it's absolute (under no circumstances can he/she be forced to testify); however, in PW 2-4, a witness made use of this right, and it was nullified with the argument: "since it doesn't relate to the crime, she has no right to refuse".
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by DLA »

Not sure if necro or not... Here are some legal terms I know.

Modus Operandi: The specific method of operation of a criminal.

Corpus Delicti: "The body of the crime"
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by clcman »

Great thread idea.
I thought I'd clean some of these up.
AP-master wrote: Medical Terminology
Blunt Force Trauma: A wound that is caused by blunt (not sharp) object which can lead to severe damage of internal organs and possibly blood loss. Requires significant force to kill instantly, may alternatively cause unconsciousness or brain damage. Can cause near instant death, especially if head is damaged, but death due to crushed ribs, etc is not unheard of.

Sharp Force Trauma/Puncture Wound: Also known as "stabbing." A type of wound that is caused when a sharp object (like a knife) that penetrates through soft tissue and, if deep enough, internal organs causing blood loss. Can be lethal. Most commonly occurs in the torso. Generally results in slow death through internal bleeding, but proper placement (i.e. heart, large artery) and enough force can result in near instant death.

Forensic Tools
Fingerprint Powder: A tool that is used to reveal invisible latent fingerprints in surfaces (such as the grip of a knife), which can then be collected via tape and stored for evidence. One simply sprinkles on powder and brushes away the extra, with some powder sticking to the oils in the print. In addition to fingerprints, it can pick up toe prints, palm prints and anything else caused by skin oils. The most basic tool in forensic science, it comes in many different types. Aluminum powders are among the most common.

Luminol: a chemical substance used to spot blood. When the luminol comes in contact with blood or other bodily fluids and exposed to a black light, it will glow blue. Because luminol reacts to proteins, it cannot definitively prove whether a stain is blood or not, but it can detect such stains even if they are wiped away and invisible to the naked eye.

Crimes
Murder: A crime that consists of one person killing another in an illegal manner. This is the most recurrent (if not THE) crime in the AA world. A capital crime (punishable by death), murder is often punished with long prison sentences, especially if paired up with another crime (kidnapping, arson, another murder...). Murder should not be confused with homicide, which is simply the killing of another human being, including accidental killings, manslaughter, justified self-defense, etc. In the United States, murder may be first, second or third degree. First degree is the worst, and is often a cold-blooded, premeditated affair. Most AA murders are first-degree, as there is some amount of planning in advanced. Standard punishments for first-degree murder are death or 25 years to life, often without parole. Third-degree murder often overlaps with manslaughter.

Manslaughter: A crime which is a sub-degree of homicide in which one person kills another in a way which, while illegal, does not constitute murder. Such circumstances include (sometimes) crimes of passion, justified rage (both of which would be voluntary manslaughter), instances where a death occurred due to a non-violent crime and criminal negligence. Manslaughter is divided into two categories: Voluntary and involuntary. Punishments for voluntary manslaughter are often 3-6 years in prison, while involuntary may only result in fines and probation.

Justified self-defense: A plea in which the defendant claims to have committed the aggression in order to protect his/her life or that of another. This plea significantly decreases the amount of time in jail, compared to being convicted with a not guilty plea. Pure self-defense is considered 'justifiable homicide' and carries no penalty. Other instances may result in the lesser crime of manslaughter. In some states, merely protecting one's property (such as by shooting a burglar) will count as self-defense.

Larceny/Thievery: A crime consisting of taking another person's property without the victim's permission. Also known as 'stealing'. One of the lesser felonies, larceny is usually punished with less than ten years in prison. However, as many thieves commit more than one crime, their sentences may still be large. Grand larceny is a felony, and requires the stolen property to be worth more than $250. Lesser larcenies are misdemeanors. Someone with the uncontrollable urge to steal things is known as a kleptomaniac.

Blackmail: A crime of coercion. A person (known as the blackmailer) attempts to force someone into doing something by threatening him/her into revealing a secret of the victim, which may lead to personal embarrassment, criminal prosecution or physical harm. Blackmail for money falls under extortion. In fiction, many a murder victim has in fact been killed by a person they were blackmailing.

Legal Terminology
Double Jeopardy: A legal term for a defendant being charged twice for the same crime. Double jeopardy is forbidden by the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, and is banned by normal law in most other countries. In practice, this means that once a defendant has been acquitted for a crime, he/she cannot be tried again for the same crime in any court. Thus, if a defendant is found "Not Guilty", he/she cannot be tried again, even if new evidence is found. They can still be tried for other crimes, including lying to police, if necessary, or be charged in a civil suit (read: lawsuit). This does not apply to "Guilty" verdicts, which can (and are) appealed and may be overturned at any time. In short, the defense gets many tries to disprove the prosecution's case, but the prosecutor only gets one.

"Pleading the Fifth": A right that is given to a person, allowing him/her to refuse to testify if they believe it will incriminate them. This cannot be taken as a sign of guilt. Said right is the infamous "right to remain silent" and is protected by the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, although the term has appeared in other countries as well. Under no circumstances may a defendant be forced to testify, however in AA world a witness may be ordered to testify about subjects which do not incriminate them, under the penalty of "contempt of court".

Modus Operandi: Latin for "Method of Operation." The specific method of operation of a criminal. Repetitive criminals often have a signature style in how they commit crimes, such as always breaking into a house by opening a window with a crowbar. Determining a person's M.O. can connect them to otherwise separate crimes.

Corpus Delicti: Latin for "The body of the crime" requires that a crime must be proven to have been committed before a person may be convicted of that crime.
That's all for now, but I have some suggestions I'll post later:
Felony
Misdemeanor
Probation
Parole
Arson
DNA Testing
Latent Fingerprints
Habeas corpus
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by Aer »

I think it would be extremely helpful if you would put all the new teminology, etc, in the first post. That way, when people are looking for a specific something, they won't have to rummage through this thread when it eventually becomes pages-long and such.
(Oh, and I think certain things show up under luminol. Like horseradish. Just a thought.) :3
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by clcman »

Many things can be detected by luminol in addition to blood, because it reacts to proteins in general. In addition, luminol cannot determine if something is from a human or another animal. It is only useful for locating stains which have been wiped away, and is useless if the object has been cleaned with bleach.
So yeah, I can believe horseradish will set it off. It's not a magic human blood detector.
(Now, there are chemical tests which can easily tell you if something is blood, and if it's human, but those require a visible stain to sample.)
What do REAL, NON-BRIBED people have to say about HTB!?
"This really changed the way I thought about Phoenix as a character. ...Wow." - Reecer6
"HTB! contains truths that might be hard to stomach, but had to be unveiled nonetheless." - Blackrune
"This deserves a best plot twist award." - Evo
"It changed my life, and it can change yours too. For the better, I mean." - Calvinball
"I will never look at Phoenix Wright the same way again" - PhoenixRises123
"omg best thing on aao" - AceAttorneyMaster111
DISCOVER THE TRUTH YOU NEVER KNEW YOU DIDN'T KNOW IN HTB! PROLOGUE AND PART 1, AVAILABLE NOW!!


"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." -Isaac Asimov
"For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong." -H. L. Mencken
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by DeeYo »

Now please elaborate on the definitions of the valid objection reasons against the defense's foolish questions. (Relevance, asked and answered, badgering the witness, etc.)

[I need them to be a hyper-competent (or just a hyper annoying) prosecutor who objects to the defense's any flawed (and also, sensible) questions. Yep, Sarcast Ablaze. Even those who haven't played the case [because it's not done yet] could guess that.)
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by clcman »

Here's a link to a thread that has a list of various valid objections. (It's in the first post, but down a ways)
http://aceattorney.sparklin.org/forum/v ... =50&t=4592
There's actually a lot in standard AA procedure that one could object against, both defense ("and so you stole this evidence from the crime scene? Your Honor, that means it is inadmissible in court!") and prosecution ("I object to the use of the whip!"). You just need to think about them for a bit.
What do REAL, NON-BRIBED people have to say about HTB!?
"This really changed the way I thought about Phoenix as a character. ...Wow." - Reecer6
"HTB! contains truths that might be hard to stomach, but had to be unveiled nonetheless." - Blackrune
"This deserves a best plot twist award." - Evo
"It changed my life, and it can change yours too. For the better, I mean." - Calvinball
"I will never look at Phoenix Wright the same way again" - PhoenixRises123
"omg best thing on aao" - AceAttorneyMaster111
DISCOVER THE TRUTH YOU NEVER KNEW YOU DIDN'T KNOW IN HTB! PROLOGUE AND PART 1, AVAILABLE NOW!!


"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." -Isaac Asimov
"For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong." -H. L. Mencken
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by DeeYo »

Thanks, clcman.
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by clcman »

Anytime. If you have any more questions about legal proceedings, either ask them here or PM me.
What do REAL, NON-BRIBED people have to say about HTB!?
"This really changed the way I thought about Phoenix as a character. ...Wow." - Reecer6
"HTB! contains truths that might be hard to stomach, but had to be unveiled nonetheless." - Blackrune
"This deserves a best plot twist award." - Evo
"It changed my life, and it can change yours too. For the better, I mean." - Calvinball
"I will never look at Phoenix Wright the same way again" - PhoenixRises123
"omg best thing on aao" - AceAttorneyMaster111
DISCOVER THE TRUTH YOU NEVER KNEW YOU DIDN'T KNOW IN HTB! PROLOGUE AND PART 1, AVAILABLE NOW!!


"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." -Isaac Asimov
"For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong." -H. L. Mencken
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by AP-Master »

Wow, I'm sorry that I didn't came here earlier... And thanks for the incredible entries clcman, I'll make sure the first post is updated :)
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Re: Criminal and Legal Glossary/List of Terms

Post by DKJustice1 »

Here a few little notes on the link below about the UK laws;

http://www.prisonersfamilies.org.uk/upl ... nology.pdf

or this one hope this helps,

https://www.gov.uk/browse/justice

A little hint is a QC means Queen Council,

In a way because the judge takes charge that can make him English. the jury would have a foreman to hand the verdict to the judge the black cloth cap will been worn if it is a serious crime. I find out whether this is still true,
hope this helps. Update: Judges still carry the black cap but only use it when in formal attire. It is no longer used to sentence people with.

Forensic tools link below;

http://www.spexforensics.com/category/c ... -equipment


Update: Now we also have CSI in the Uk.
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