Criminal Law Basics

The filing of criminal charges in federal court begins with an investigation of suspected criminal activity, usually conducted by the FBI. However, other federal agencies are sometimes involved...

The US criminal justice system is complex and in some cases arcane. Many people misunderstand understand criminal justice concepts such as prosecutorial discretion, plea bargaining and sentencing....

The U.S. Constitution provides several rights to criminal defendants. While some of these apply to interactions with the police and some apply to criminal punishment, there are five important...

A crime is an action penalized by a fine or imprisonment. Depending on the city, county or state, there are different socially acceptable behaviors, which, if broken, are punishable by law. A...

Criminal justice is the system of law enforcement, attorneys, the courts, the prison system and the parole and probation system that are directly involved in the investigation, arrest, trial,...

The standard of proof that is required to convict a defendant in a criminal case in a majority of adversarial judicial systems is known as "beyond a reasonable doubt." The standard of beyond a...

Criminal law is distinctively different from all others types of law. If you are charged with a crime, you'll benefit from an understanding of criminal law. Many people do not realize that only a...

There are many legal terms thrown around these days. They are seen on popular TV shows and in the news, but many of these terms are misused or misunderstood. Here is a quick reference material for...

Never. Never represent yourself in a court of law unless it is simply small claims court. For all other, criminal, civil torts, etc. always hire an attorney. There is never a good reason not to...

This is a little article on how to keep from getting into trouble for missing Jury Duty.

Criminal justice personnel, especially law enforcement officers, must know how to correctly obtain a legal statement from a crime suspect that will maintain credibility in court. There are five...

Due process is the collection of rights outlined in the Bill of Rights and in decisions of the Supreme Court that define how citizens should be treated in our legal system. The most familiar of...

While the statutes defining third degree murder vary considerably from state to state, a good general definition is that any homicide committed with the malicious intention of causing bodily harm,...

One of the challenges inherent in the American legal system is the need to establish an accused criminal's guilt beyond all question. To do this, you'll need to show a jury convincing proof that...

While the statutes defining third degree murder vary considerably from state to state, a good general definition is that any homicide committed with the malicious intention of causing bodily harm,...

One of the challenges inherent in the American legal system is the need to establish an accused criminal's guilt beyond all question. To do this, you'll need to show a jury convincing proof that...