crim law
This Latin term refers to the guilty mind or criminal intent associated with an offense.
mens rea
This case held that evidence discovered during an unlawful search may be excluded from trial, subject to exceptions.
Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
This form of deterrence seeks to discourage the general public from offending by demonstrating the consequences of crime.
General Deterrence Theory
This amendment protects against excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.
8th amendment
This Latin term refers to the guilty act required for a crime.
This doctrine requires criminal laws to give ordinary people reasonable notice of what conduct is prohibited.
fair notice requirement
his case established that police may conduct a brief investigative stop based on reasonable suspicion.
Terry v. Ohio (1968)
This theory argues that crime results from weighing the perceived costs and benefits of an action.
Rational Choice Theory
This amendment protects against compelled self-incrimination and double jeopardy
5th amendment
This property means a theory can be tested and potentially disproved by evidence.
Falsifiability
When a criminal statute is genuinely ambiguous, this rule generally directs courts to interpret it in favor of the defendant.
rule of lenity
This case established the right to appointed counsel for indigent defendants charged with serious crimes in state court.
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
This concept describes the tendency for offending to rise during adolescence and decline as people grow older.
Aging out, Age–Crime Curve
This amendment guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial, an impartial jury, and assistance of counsel in criminal prosecutions.
6th amendment
This theory emphasizes impulsivity and preference for immediate gratification as predictors of crime.
Self-Control Theory
This doctrine requires that a criminal act and the required mental state occur together.
concurrence
This case held that the Eighth Amendment generally does not permit criminalizing the act of sleeping outside when a person has no available indoor shelter, in the circumstances addressed by the Court.
City of Grants Pass v. Johnson (2024)
This school emphasizes scientific investigation of factors that influence criminal behavior rather than relying exclusively on free will.
Positivist School of thought
This clause of the Fourteenth Amendment restricts states from depriving people of life, liberty, or property without appropriate legal procedures.
Due process clause
This defense may apply when a person reasonably relies on an official's misleading interpretation of the law.
This term describes conduct that is prohibited by law but is not necessarily inherently immoral.
mala prohibita
This case held that the prosecution must prove a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
In re Winship (1970)
This perspective explains how a person’s criminal behavior may change following major life events and changes in social bonds.
Life-Course Theory
This amendment prohibited poll taxes in federal elections
24th amendment
What is the Lambert Principle?
This term describes a legal defense involving a person's failure to know a legal obligation, under circumstances where due process may require awareness