What Is It? When Is It Permissible? What Arguments Can Be Made for and Against the Practice? In the American legal system, when determining the outcome of a criminal matter, a jury is commonly directed to return a guilty verdict if the prosecution ... [Read more...]
Criminal Law
What Does Homicide Mean?
How Does the Law Define Homicide? What Are the Different Types of Homicide? What Defenses Are Available for a Homicide Charge? The term "homicide," derived from the Latin words homo (man) and cidium (the act of killing), is commonly used in the ... [Read more...]
What Is Third-Degree Murder?
How Does It Differ From Other Types of Homicide? What Are the Potential Penalties? In the vast majority of states, there is no criminal offense identified as "third-degree murder." Only three states—Florida, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota—have laws on ... [Read more...]
The Constitutional Prohibition Against Double Jeopardy
What Is the Source of the Rule? What Are the Basic Protections It Provides? The United States Constitution provides extensive protections to citizens involved in criminal proceedings. The Bill of Rights, drafted by former British subjects who knew ... [Read more...]
What Is False Imprisonment?
What Must You Prove to Establish False Imprisonment? What Are the Potential Penalties for False Imprisonment? We all value our personal freedom, the ability to move about freely on our own property or on public land. When another person or entity ... [Read more...]
What Is Second-Degree Murder?
How Does It Differ From Other Types of Homicide? In all states, homicide crimes include a range of offenses that can be charged. All states label certain types of homicide as murder, and many states identify different degrees of murder, with the ... [Read more...]
What Is Involuntary Manslaughter?
What Must a Prosecutor Prove? How Does It Differ from Other Types of Homicide? Under the criminal laws of every state, homicide can take a number of different forms, based on what the law considers to be the state of mind of the defendant at the ... [Read more...]
What Is Embezzlement?
What Must Be Shown to Prove Embezzlement? How Is It Different from Other Theft Crimes? We've all heard the term "Ponzi scheme," and most of us have read or heard about the billions of dollars that former stockbroker Bernie Madoff bilked from ... [Read more...]
What Is a Deposition?
How Is It Used in the Legal Process? Are There Different Types of Depositions? At the basic level, the American legal system comprises criminal law and procedure and civil law and procedure. Criminal courts address and resolve what are considered to ... [Read more...]
Arraignment: Meaning, Common Charges, & Process
Arraignment is a pivotal moment within the criminal justice system, marking the formal initiation of criminal proceedings against an individual. During this proceeding, the defendant is informed of the charges against them and asked to plea in ... [Read more...]