Complete list of Terms and Definitions for Glosary
| Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
| 1983 Lawsuit | A civil suit brought under title 42, section 1983, of the US code against anyone who denies others their constitutional right to life, liberty, or property without due process of law. |
| Abused child | A child who has been physically, sexually, or mentally ab sued. Most states also consider a child who is forced into delinquent activity by a part or guardian to be abused. |
| Acquittal | The judgment of a court, based on a verdict of a jury or a judicial officer, that the defendant is not guilty of the offense or offenses for which he or she was tried |
| Actus reus | An act in violation of the laaw. Also, a guilty act |
| Adjudication | The process by which a court arrives at a decision regarding a case. Also, the resultant decision. |
| Adjudicatory hearing | The fact-finding process by which the juvenile court determines whether there is sufficient evidence to sustain the allegation in a petition |
| ADMAX | Administrative maximum. The term is used by the federal government to denote ultra-high-security prisons |
| Administration of Justice | The performance of any of the follwing activities: detection, apprehension, detention, pretrial release, post-trial release, prosecution, adjudication, correction supervision or rehabilitation of accused persons or criminal offenders |
| Admission | In corrections, the entry of an offender into the legal jurisdiction of a correctional agency or into the physical custody of a correctional facility. |
| Adversarial system | The two-sided structure under which american criminal trial court operate. The adversarial system pits the prosecution against the defense. In theory, justice is done when the most effective adversary is able to convince the judge or jury that his or her perspective on the case is the correct one. |