criminal law | LII / Legal Information Institute

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns# article: http://ogp.me/ns/article# book: http://ogp.me/ns/book# profile: http://ogp.me/ns/profile# video: http://ogp.me/ns/video# product: http://ogp.me/ns/product# content: http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/ dc: http://purl.org/dc/terms/ foaf: http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/ rdfs: http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema# sioc: http://rdfs.org/sioc/ns# sioct: http://rdfs.org/sioc/types# skos: http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core# xsd: http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#"> <head profile="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml/vocab"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta http-equiv="Cache-Control" content="no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate" /> <meta http-equiv="Pragma" content="no-cache" /> <meta http-equiv="Expires" content="0" /> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <script type='text/javascript'>  !function(a){var b=/iPhone/i,c=/iPod/i,d=/iPad/i,e=/(?=.*\bAndroid\b)(?=.*\bMobile\b)/i,f=/Android/i,g=/(?=.*\bAndroid\b)(?=.*\bSD4930UR\b)/i,h=/(?=.*\bAndroid\b)(?=.*\b(?:KFOT|KFTT|KFJWI|KFJWA|KFSOWI|KFTHWI|KFTHWA|KFAPWI|KFAPWA|KFARWI|KFASWI|KFSAWI|KFSAWA)\b)/i,i=/IEMobile/i,j=/(?=.*\bWindows\b)(?=.*\bARM\b)/i,k=/BlackBerry/i,l=/BB10/i,m=/Opera Mini/i,n=/(CriOS|Chrome)(?=.*\bMobile\b)/i,o=/(?=.*\bFirefox\b)(?=.*\bMobile\b)/i,p=new RegExp('(?:Nexus 7|BNTV250|Kindle Fire|Silk|GT-P1000)','i'),q=function(a,b){return a.test(b)},r=function(a){var r=a||navigator.userAgent,s=r.split('[FBAN');return'undefined'!=typeof s[1]&&(r=s[0]),s=r.split('Twitter'),'undefined'!=typeof s[1]&&(r=s[0]),this.apple={phone:q(b,r),ipod:q(c,r),tablet:!q(b,r)&&q(d,r),device:q(b,r)||q(c,r)||q(d,r)},this.amazon={phone:q(g,r),tablet:!q(g,r)&&q(h,r),device:q(g,r)||q(h,r)},this.android={phone:q(g,r)||q(e,r),tablet:!q(g,r)&&!q(e,r)&&(q(h,r)||q(f,r)),device:q(g,r)||q(h,r)||q(e,r)||q(f,r)},this.windows={phone:q(i,r),tablet:q(j,r),device:q(i,r)||q(j,r)},this.other={blackberry:q(k,r),blackberry10:q(l,r),opera:q(m,r),firefox:q(o,r),chrome:q(n,r),device:q(k,r)||q(l,r)||q(m,r)||q(o,r)||q(n,r)},this.seven_inch=q(p,r),this.any=this.apple.device||this.android.device||this.windows.device||this.other.device||this.seven_inch,this.phone=this.apple.phone||this.android.phone||this.windows.phone,this.tablet=this.apple.tablet||this.android.tablet||this.windows.tablet,'undefined'==typeof window?this:void 0},s=function(){var a=new r;return a.Class=r,a};'undefined'!=typeof module&&module.exports&&'undefined'==typeof window?module.exports=r:'undefined'!=typeof module&&module.exports&&'undefined'!=typeof window?module.exports=s():'function'==typeof define&&define.amd?define('isMobile',[],a.isMobile=s()):a.isMobile=s()}(this); </script>  <script async src='//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js'></script> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({ google_ad_client: 'ca-pub-6351434937294517', enable_page_level_ads: true, }); </script>   <script type='text/javascript'>  </script> <script type='text/javascript'>  </script>  <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/www.law.cornell.edu/files/favicon_1.ico" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/category/criminal_law" /> <link rel="shortlink" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/category/criminal_law" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="LII / Legal Information Institute" /> <meta property="og:type" content="website" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/category/criminal_law" /> <meta property="og:title" content="criminal law" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.law.cornell.edu/images/liibracketlogo.gif" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@LIICornell" /> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/category/criminal_law" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="criminal law" /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.law.cornell.edu/images/liibracketlogo.gif" /> <meta name="dcterms.title" content="criminal law" /> <title>criminal law | LII / Legal Information Institute</title> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/www.law.cornell.edu/files/css/css_tuqeOBz1ozigHOvScJR2wasCmXBizZ9rfd58u6_20EE.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/www.law.cornell.edu/files/css/css_CcyzjmrkiQzB9Z_BSrTC-qehkLLL-lcZ-ZxcEcQ1ogk.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/www.law.cornell.edu/files/css/css_MnXiytJtb186Ydycnpwpw34cuUsHaKc80ey5LiQXhSY.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/www.law.cornell.edu/files/css/css_KkwH4A5QGEouTDN0aBc-Y6h2SLyMcNrdBC1prvZWPmU.css" media="all" />  <link href="/sites/all/themes/liizenboot/styles/liins_sass/stylesheets/screen.css" media="screen" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <link href="/sites/all/themes/liizenboot/styles/liins_sass/stylesheets/print.css" media="print" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />   <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-PDVVHXRDE6"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-PDVVHXRDE6'); </script> <script src="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/www.law.cornell.edu/files/js/js_dmcaEnEJzTGlrxYn6Ic_pkiuBoJb61xJgSvDC_RVKrg.js"></script> <script src="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/www.law.cornell.edu/files/js/js_leLrwcCMYcDv6-9VF8S-jRIOsiYuuldH5J4VuRdgIZE.js"></script> <script src="https://justatic.com/v/20160725b/shared/js/widgets/find-a-lawyer.js"></script> <script src="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/www.law.cornell.edu/files/js/js_a_XWH2S1EQaU85ypMDyQGiUfzPFez1IOZKxHnhGkv3E.js"></script> <script src="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/www.law.cornell.edu/files/js/js_VBaNTGZuF4SzV5OM85A0VjAQaqSuBDIag6L3XpvoD60.js"></script> <script>jQuery.extend(Drupal.settings, {"basePath":"\/","pathPrefix":"","setHasJsCookie":0,"ajaxPageState":{"theme":"liizenboot","theme_token":"uwl4Q6fzQBxzSfB3gHGKYasY683zEDnSJb0dh95SwF4","js":{"sites\/all\/modules\/jquery_update\/replace\/jquery\/1.8\/jquery.js":1,"misc\/jquery-extend-3.4.0.js":1,"misc\/jquery-html-prefilter-3.5.0-backport.js":1,"misc\/jquery.once.js":1,"misc\/drupal.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/jquery_update\/replace\/ui\/ui\/jquery.ui.core.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/lii\/lii\/scripts\/jquery.url.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/lii\/lii\/scripts\/jquery.cookie.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/lii\/lii\/scripts\/lii.funcs.js":1,"misc\/form.js":1,"https:\/\/justatic.com\/v\/20160725b\/shared\/js\/widgets\/find-a-lawyer.js":1,"misc\/collapse.js":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/bootstrap\/js\/bootstrap.min.js":1},"css":{"modules\/system\/system.base.css":1,"modules\/system\/system.menus.css":1,"modules\/system\/system.messages.css":1,"modules\/system\/system.theme.css":1,"misc\/ui\/jquery.ui.core.css":1,"misc\/ui\/jquery.ui.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/footnotes\/footnotes.css":1,"modules\/book\/book.css":1,"modules\/comment\/comment.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/date\/date_api\/date.css":1,"modules\/field\/theme\/field.css":1,"modules\/node\/node.css":1,"modules\/search\/search.css":1,"modules\/user\/user.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/views\/css\/views.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/ctools\/css\/ctools.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/system.menus.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/bootstrap\/css\/bootstrap.min.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/aggregator.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/block.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/book.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/color.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/comment.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/contextual.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/dashboard.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/dblog.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/theme\/field.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/field_ui.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/file.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/filter.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/forum.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/help.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/image.admin.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/image.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/locale.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/menu.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/node.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/openid.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/overlay-child.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/overlay-parent.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/poll.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/profile.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/search.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/shortcut.admin.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/shortcut.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/simpletest.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/system.admin.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/system.base.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/system.maintenance.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/system.messages.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/system.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/taxonomy.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/toolbar.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/tracker.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/update.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/liizenboot\/user.css":1}},"lii_justia_find_lawyers_sidebar":{"limit":5,"paurl":"https:\/\/lawyers.law.cornell.edu\/lawyers\/locate","param":"method=jsonp\u0026limit=5\u0026prefer_practice=1\u0026callback=?\u0026parts=query|basic|location|practice"},"urlIsAjaxTrusted":{"\/wex\/category\/criminal_law":true}});</script> <script src="/js/getcc.js"></script>  <script> SEARCH_URL = 'https://api.law.cornell.edu/lii/search'; </script> <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/js-cookie@2/src/js.cookie.min.js"></script> </head> <body itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/WebPage" class="html not-front not-logged-in one-sidebar sidebar-second page-taxonomy page-taxonomy-term page-taxonomy-term- page-taxonomy-term-5067279 section-wex show-grid" > <div id="liisurveymodal" class="modal fade bs-example-modal-lg" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="liisurveymodal" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="modal-dialog modal-lg"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-title-box">Please help us improve our site!</div> <div class="modal-header"> <button type="button" class="close" onclick="snooze_survey()" data-dismiss="modal">×</button> </div> <div class="modal-body"> <iframe title="Survey Frame" class="survey-content" id="iframeHolder"></iframe> </div> <div class="modal-footer">  <a href="#" class="btn btn-primary" class="close" data-dismiss="modal" onclick="snooze_survey()">No thank you</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <header id="conannav" class="navbar navbar-fixed-top active"> <a href="#content" class="skip">Skip to main content</a>   <div id="cu-identity"> <div class="container-fluid"> <a href="https://www.cornell.edu" id="insignialink" title="Cornell University"> <img class="img-responsive" src="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/all/themes/liizenboot/images/insignia.gif" alt="Cornell University insignia" /> </a> <a href="https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/" id="clslink">Cornell Law School</a> <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/search/" id="cusearch">Search Cornell</a> </div> </div>  <div id="lii-identity" class="col-12 identity-header"> <div id="liiheader" class="container-fluid"> <nav id="liiallnav" class="navbar" aria-label="Main"> <div id="liibanner" class="navbar-header"> <button type="button" class="navbar-toggle" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#liinav" href="#liinav"> <span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span> <span class="icon-bar"></span> <span class="icon-bar"></span> <span class="icon-bar"></span> </button> <div id="liilogodiv"> <a id="liilogo" class="navbar-brand" href="/" aria-label="lii logo"></a> </div> <div class="navbar-right" id="liinavbarstuff">  <button id="survey" class="btn btn-primary icon-pencil icon-white" style="display: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top:-20px; height: 42px">Please help us improve our site!</button>  <div id="liidonatewrap"> <a id="liidonate" class="navbar-link mdblueinv" href="/donate" aria-label="Donate to LII"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-gift"></span> <span class="gltxt">Support Us!</span> </a> </div>  <div id="liisearchlinkwrap"> <a id="liisearchlink" href="#" class="navbar-link cured" aria-label="Search LII"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-search"></span> <span class="gltxt">Search</span> </a> </div>  <div id="liisearch" href="#"> <div class="input-group" id="adv-search" role="search" > <input label="Enter the terms you wish to search for." placeholder="Search" class="form-control form-text" type="text" id="edit-keys" name="keys" value="" list="autocomplete_list" aria-label="Enter search terms text box"> <datalist id="autocomplete_list"> </datalist> <div class="input-group-btn"> <div class="btn-group" role="group" aria-label="Filter and search buttons"> <div class="dropdown dropdown-lg"> <button type="button" class="btn btn-default dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-expanded="false" aria-label="filter dropdown button"><span class="caret" role="button" aria-hidden="true"></span></button> <div class="dropdown-menu dropdown-menu-right" role="menu"> <form class="form-horizontal"> <div class="form-group"> <label for="collectionSelector" type="submit">Filter by:</label> <select class="form-control" type="submit" id="collectionSelector" onchange="handleSelectChange(event)" aria-label="Select collection to search" role="menuitem"> <optgroup label="Collections"> <option value="0" selected>All Collections</option> <option value="1">Conan</option> <option value="2">CFR</option> <option value="3">US Code</option> <option value="4">Constitution</option> <option value="5">Federal Rules</option> <option value="6">FRAP</option> <option value="7">FRBP</option> <option value="8">FRCP</option> <option value="9">FRCMP</option> <option value="10">FRE</option> <option value="11">Supct</option> <option value="12">UCC</option> <option value="13">States</option> <option value="14">World</option> <option value="15">Uniform</option> <option value="16">Wex</option> <option value="17">Supreme Court</option> <option value="18">Women And Justice</option> <option value="19">LII Supreme Court Bulletin</option> <option value="20">Wiki</option> </optgroup> </select> <input aria-label="Select" id="submit-button" type="submit" style="display: none;"> </div> </form> </div> </div> <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary" onclick="findNowClickEvent()" aria-label="Find now"><span class="glyphicon glyphicon-search" aria-hidden="true" role="button"></span></button> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="liinav" class="collapse navbar-collapse" role="menu"> <ul id="liiheadernav" class="nav navbar-nav" role="menubar" aria-hidden="false"> <li role="menuitem" aria-haspopup="true" class="menu-item dropdown dropdown-submenu"> <a href="/lii/about/about_lii" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-expanded="false">About LII</a> <ul role="menu" aria-hidden="true" class="dropdown-menu sub-menu"> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/lii/about/who_we_are">Who We Are</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/lii/about/what_we_do">What We Do</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/lii/about/who_pays_for_this">Who Pays For This</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/lii/about/contact_us">Contact Us</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li role="menuitem" aria-haspopup="true" class="menu-item dropdown dropdown-submenu"> <a href="/lii/get_the_law" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-expanded="false">Get the law</a> <ul role="menu" aria-hidden="true" class="dropdown-menu sub-menu"> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/constitution">Constitution</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/supremecourt/text/home">Supreme Court</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/uscode/text">U.S. Code</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/cfr/text">CFR</a> </li> <li role="menuitem" aria-haspopup="true" class="menu-item dropdown dropdown-submenu"> <a href="/rules" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-expanded="false">Federal Rules</a> <ul role="menu" aria-hidden="true" class="dropdown-menu submenu-menu"> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/rules/frap">Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/rules/frcp">Federal Rules of Civil Procedure</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/rules/frcrmp">Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/rules/fre">Federal Rules of Evidence</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/rules/frbp">Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/ucc">U.C.C.</a> </li> <li aria-haspopup="true" class="menu-item dropdown dropdown-submenu"> <a href="#" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-expanded="false">Law by jurisdiction</a> <ul role="menu" class="dropdown-menu submenu-menu"> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/states">State law</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/uniform">Uniform laws</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/federal">Federal law</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/world">World law</a> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="https://lawyers.law.cornell.edu/">Lawyer directory</a> </li> <li role="menuitem" class="menu-item dropdown dropdown-submenu"> <a href="/wex" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-expanded="false">Legal encyclopedia</a> <ul role="menu" class="dropdown-menu sub-menu"> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/wex/category/business_law">Business law</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/wex/category/constitutional_law">Constitutional law</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/wex/category/criminal_law_and_procedure">Criminal law</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/wex/category/family_law">Family law</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/wex/category/employment_law">Employment law</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/wex/category/money_and_financial_problems">Money and Finances</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/wex/wex_articles">All Wex articles</a> </li> </ul> </li> <li role="menuitem" class="menu-item dropdown dropdown-submenu"> <a href="/lii/help_out" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-expanded="false">Help out</a> <ul role="menu" class="dropdown-menu sub-menu"> <li role="menuitem" aria-hidden="true"> <a href="/donate" aria-hidden="true">Give</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/lii/help_out/sponsor" aria-label="LII: sponsorship">Sponsor</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/lii/help_out/advertise" aria-label="LII: advertise">Advertise</a> </li> <li role="menuitem" aria-label="LII: create content"> <a href="/lii/help_out/create">Create</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/lii/help_out/promote" aria-label="LII: promote">Promote</a> </li> <li role="menuitem"> <a href="/lii/help_out/join_directory">Join Lawyer Directory</a> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul id="liinavsoc" class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right"> <li>  <div class="addthis_horizontal_follow_toolbox"></div> </li> </ul> </div> </div>  </nav> </div> </div>   </header> <div id="page" class="main-container container-fluid">  <div id="main"> <div id="content" class="col-sm-8" role="main"> <ol class="breadcrumb" itemprop="breadcrumb"><li><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu">LII</a></li><li><a href="/wex">Wex</a></li></ol> <div id="main-content"> <h1 class="title" id="page-title">criminal law</h1>  <div id="content1"> <div class="view view-taxonomy-term-revised view-id-taxonomy_term_revised view-display-id-page_1 view-dom-id-05b838ecafd5b7bb1cde0df0ece9117d"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first"> <span class="views-field views-field-title"> <h2 class="field-content"><a href="/wex/a_fortiori">a fortiori</a></h2> </span> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <span class="field-content"><p dir="ltr">A fortiori signals an argument that it is based on an even stronger argument. In Latin, the term literally means ‘from [the] stronger’. A fortiori is generally used to suggest that an argument is based on another argument so strong as to make...</span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even"> <span class="views-field views-field-title"> <h2 class="field-content"><a href="/wex/a_priori">a priori</a></h2> </span> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <span class="field-content"><p dir="ltr">A priori signals an assertion that is based on prior knowledge or intuition. In Latin, the term literally means ‘from [the] former’. An a priori determination is formed prior to investigation. </p> <p dir="ltr">For example:</p> In...</span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd"> <span class="views-field views-field-title"> <h2 class="field-content"><a href="/wex/a.k.a.">a.k.a.</a></h2> </span> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <span class="field-content"><p dir="ltr">A.K.A. is the abbreviation of “also known as.” It is often used to specify a party’s aliases or nicknames in a case.</p> <p>[Last updated in June of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]</p></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-4 views-row-even"> <span class="views-field views-field-title"> <h2 class="field-content"><a href="/wex/ab_initio">ab initio</a></h2> </span> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <span class="field-content"><p dir="ltr">Ab initio is a Latin term that means "from the beginning” or “from inception.” Ab initio is used to indicate that some fact existed from the start of a relevant time period. It is often used as part of the phrase “void ab initio,” meaning...</span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-5 views-row-odd"> <span class="views-field views-field-title"> <h2 class="field-content"><a href="/wex/abatement_ab_initio">abatement ab initio</a></h2> </span> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <span class="field-content"><p dir="ltr">Abatement ab initio is a rule in criminal law which negates a conviction if the defendant died before they could exhaust all appeals. In People v. Mount, a California Court of Appeals described the rule as dismissing or remanding a criminal...</span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-6 views-row-even"> <span class="views-field views-field-title"> <h2 class="field-content"><a href="/wex/abduction">abduction</a></h2> </span> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <span class="field-content"><p dir="ltr">Abduction means the taking of a person against their will, generally by means of persuasion, fraud, or force. Some jurisdictions also require that the abductee (the person who is abducted) be a child or that that the abductor intend to marry...</span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-7 views-row-odd"> <span class="views-field views-field-title"> <h2 class="field-content"><a href="/wex/abet">abet</a></h2> </span> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <span class="field-content"><p dir="ltr">Abet refers to criminally assisting another person in the commission of a crime including planning a crime, escaping from a crime, or in the actual commission of the crime.</p> <p dir="ltr">A party that abets commission of a crime can be...</span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-8 views-row-even"> <span class="views-field views-field-title"> <h2 class="field-content"><a href="/wex/abscond">abscond</a></h2> </span> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <span class="field-content"><p dir="ltr">Abscond means leaving a jurisdiction secretly or suddenly, e.g. to avoid service of process, arrest, or prosecution; or leaving with another person's money or property. Absconding is generally a criminal offense which may lead to imprisonment...</span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-9 views-row-odd"> <span class="views-field views-field-title"> <h2 class="field-content"><a href="/wex/absolute_disparity">absolute disparity</a></h2> </span> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <span class="field-content"><p dir="ltr">Absolute disparity is a calculation used to analyze a claim that a jury pool did not represent a fair cross-section of the community. For instance, a jury pool that is composed of only white jurors in a community that is predominantly Black....</span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-10 views-row-even views-row-last"> <span class="views-field views-field-title"> <h2 class="field-content"><a href="/wex/abstention_doctrine">abstention doctrine</a></h2> </span> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <span class="field-content"><p dir="ltr">The abstention doctrine is an authority that precludes federal courts from hearing cases within its jurisdictions, instead, giving state courts authority over the case. The policy behind this doctrine is rooted in federalism, and the interest...</span> </div> </div> </div> <h2 class="element-invisible">Pages</h2><div class="item-list"><ul class="pager"><li class="pager-current first">1</li> <li class="pager-item"><a title="Go to page 2" href="/wex/category/criminal_law?page=1">2</a></li> <li class="pager-item"><a title="Go to page 3" href="/wex/category/criminal_law?page=2">3</a></li> <li class="pager-item"><a title="Go to page 4" href="/wex/category/criminal_law?page=3">4</a></li> <li class="pager-item"><a title="Go to page 5" href="/wex/category/criminal_law?page=4">5</a></li> <li class="pager-item"><a title="Go to page 6" href="/wex/category/criminal_law?page=5">6</a></li> <li class="pager-item"><a title="Go to page 7" href="/wex/category/criminal_law?page=6">7</a></li> <li class="pager-item"><a title="Go to page 8" href="/wex/category/criminal_law?page=7">8</a></li> <li class="pager-item"><a title="Go to page 9" href="/wex/category/criminal_law?page=8">9</a></li> <li class="pager-ellipsis">…</li> <li class="pager-next"><a title="Go to next page" href="/wex/category/criminal_law?page=1">next ›</a></li> <li class="pager-last last"><a title="Go to last page" href="/wex/category/criminal_law?page=80">last »</a></li> </ul></div> </div> </div> <div id ="page-bottom"> <div class="region region-bottom"> <div id="block-liidfp-2" class="block block-liidfp first last odd"> <div class="gfs"><div id='div-gpt-ad-bottom'> <script type='text/javascript'>  </script> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <aside id="sidebar-second" class="col-sm-4"> <section class="region region-sidebar-second column sidebar"> <div id="block-block-50" class="block block-block first odd"> <h2 class="title toolbox">Wex Toolbox</h2><div class="collectiontools"></div>  <div class="social"> <div class="socSep"><hr /></div>    <div class="socSep"> <hr /> </div>  <div class="addthis_sharing_toolbox"></div> <div class="socSep"> <hr /> </div>  <script type="text/javascript"> var addthis_config = { data_track_addressbar: false, data_track_clickback: true, publid: 'liiadverts', ui_tabindex: 0, ui_508_compliant: true }; var addthis_share = { url_transforms: { shorten: { twitter: 'bitly' } }, shorteners: { bitly: { login: 'liicornell', apiKey: 'R_75b99d95e1c3033c4dbea23ce04bf5d3' } }, passthrough: { twitter: { via: 'LIICornell' } } }; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=liiadverts" async="async"></script>  </div> </div> <div id="block-liidfp-0" class="block block-liidfp even"> <div class="gfs"><div id='div-gpt-ad-top'> <script type='text/javascript'>  </script> </div></div> </div> <div id="block-views-block-view-block" class="block block-views odd"> <div class="view view-block-view view-id-block_view view-display-id-block view-dom-id-b9cf4d9f10a07321e63b51d22f12e00b"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"> <div class="views-field views-field-title blockview Stay-Involved"> <h2 class="title">Stay Involved</h2> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-edit-node"> <span class="field-content"></span> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <div class="field-content"><div id="stayinvolved_inner"> <ul> <li><a href="http://blog.law.cornell.edu">LII Announce Blog</a></li> <li><a href="/supct/cert/subscribe">LII Supreme Court Bulletin</a></li> </ul> <ul> <li><a href="/donors/">Make a donation</a></li> <li><a href="/wex">Contribute content</a></li> <li><a href="/lii/business_opportunities">Become a sponsor</a></li> <li><a href="/contact">Give feedback</a></li> </ul> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="block-liidfp-1" class="block block-liidfp even"> <div class="gfs"><div id='div-gpt-ad-middle'> <script type='text/javascript'>  </script> </div></div> </div> <div id="block-lii-justia-find-lawyers-sidebar" class="block block-lii last odd"> <div id="block-lii-justia-lawyers" class="block block-lii last even"><div class="sidebar"><div class="results-sponsored"><div data-directive="j-find-a-lawyer" data-crosslink="seemorelawyers" data-domain="lawyers.law.cornell.edu"></div></div></div></div> </div> </section> </aside>  </div>     <footer id="liifooter" class="container-fluid"> <ul id="liifooternav" class="nav navbar-nav"> <li class="first"> <a href="/lii/about/accessibility" class="nav" aria-label="LII accessibility help">Accessibility</a> </li> <li> <a href="/lii/about/about_lii" class="nav">About LII</a> </li> <li> <a href="/lii/about/contact_us" class="nav">Contact us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/lii/help_out/sponsor">Advertise here</a> </li> <li> <a href="/lii/help" class="nav" aria-label="LII general help">Help</a> </li> <li> <a href="/lii/terms/documentation" class="nav">Terms of use</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/lii/terms/privacy_policy" class="nav" aria-label="LII privacy policy">Privacy</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right"> <li> <a href="/"> <img src="https://www.law.cornell.edu/sites/all/themes/liizenboot/images/LII_logo_footer.gif" alt="LII home"> </a> </li> </ul> </footer>    <script> jQuery(document).ready(function () { jQuery("#liisearchlink").click(function () { jQuery("#liisearch").toggle('slide'); jQuery("#liinavbarstuff").toggleClass('searchboxslid'); }); }); jQuery(document).ready(function () { jQuery('[data-toggle="tooltip"]').each(function () { var $elem = jQuery(this); $elem.tooltip({ html: true, container: $elem, delay: { hide: 400 } }); }); }); </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/js/lii_scriptinator_drupal.js"> </script> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

criminal law | LII / Legal Information Institute