Criminal Defense Terms and Definitions

Accessory A person who assists in the commission of a crime, either before or after the fact. Assault A willful attempt to illegally inflict injury on or threaten a person. Levy A seizure; the obtaining of money by legal process through seizure and sale of property. Embezzlement The fraudulent appropriation by a person to his own use or benefit of property or money entrusted to him by another. Circumstantial evidence All evidence of an indirect nature. Testimony not based on actual personal knowledge or observation of the facts in controversy. Abstract of record A short, abbreviated form of the case as found in the record. Restitution Court-ordered payment to restore goods or money to the victim of a crime by the offender. Search warrant An order issued by a judge or magistrate commanding a sheriff, constable, or other officer to search a specified location. Tort An injury or wrong committed, either with or without force, to the person or property of another, for which civil liability may be imposed. Fifth Amendment Among other rights, the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees that a person cannot be compelled to present self-incriminating testimony in a criminal (or juvenile) proceeding.

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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.