• Exclusionary Rule: forbade the use of unconstitutionally obtained evidence in federal courts

law that defines the rights and duties of individuals with respect to one another. Describes what constitutes particular crimes, such as murder, rape, robbery, and assault, and specifies the appropriate punishment for each particular offense.

rules that define the manner in which the rights and duties of individuals may be enforced. Specify acceptable methods for dealing with violations of substance laws, especially within the context of a judicial setting.

• Excuse defense
• An officer unlawfully persuading a citizen to commit a crime they would not commit under normal circumstances

• Insanity test
• at the time of the alleged criminal act, the defendant was so deranged that she did not know the nature or quality of her actions or, if she knew the nature and quality of her actions, she was so deranged that she did not know that what she was doing was wrong.

protects your from unreasonable searches and seizures

• The first 10 amendments of the U.S. Constitution
• Procedural safeguards found within it

• guilty intent (a wrongful mental state is usually as necessary as a wrongful act to establish criminal liability)
• Types of Mens Rea: Purposefully, Knowlingly, Criminal Negligence, Recklessly
  

• a nonindictable offense, regarded in the US as less serious than a felony.
• a minor wrongdoing
  

• an incident-based reporting system used by law enforcement agencies in the United States for collecting and reporting data on crimes.
• Local, state and federal agencies generate NIBRS data from their records management systems.

• Individual Rights: refer to the liberties of each individual to pursue life and goals without interference from other individuals or the government.
• Public Order: the domain of police or other policing agencies, courts, prosecution services, and prisons—all of which make up the criminal justice system. Understand that this system is chain-linked—all elements need to work together.

• Crime rate = Number of crimes/100,000 population

• They must be above 95% certain that the person has committed the crime

• The burden of proof is 51% certain

acts that are inherently wrong, regardless of whether they are prohibited by law. Ex. Murder, rape and theft

• the body of law enacted by legislative bodies. Federal statutes: laws that are enacted by the U.S. Congress. State statutes: laws enacted by state legislatures, includes the ordinances passed by the state and cities.

the body of law developed form custom or judicial decisions in English and U.S. courts ad not attributable to a legislature.

·         History: Henry II (1154-1189) sent judges on a specific route throughout the country known as a circuit. Henry II circuit judges establish a common law in England.

a court decision that furnished an example or authority for deciding subsequent cases involving similar legal principle facts

    Incarceration rates are increasing, while crime rates are going down.

represents the annual ratio of crime to fixed time intervals. It should not be taken to imply a regularity in the commission of crime.

consist of enforceable rules governing relationships among individuals and their society

for certain crimes, criminal law holds the defendant to be guilty even if intent to commit the offense is lacking. Strict liability offenses do not require mens rea. (ex. Statutory rape or traffic laws)

• Not all crimes are reported to police
• Dark Figure of Crime: the crime not reported to the police. This combined with the the crimes reported to police make up all crime.

• Latin for "the body of the crime"
• Must be proven before a person can be convicted of wrongdoing. Proof that a specific crime has actually been committed by someone.

• Juveniles are entitled to most of the procedural rights of adults

you may only use deadly force if you are “backed into a wall” and must use deadly force in order to get out of the situation.

an individual whose mind was disordered because of defective mental processes at the time of committing a crime. (legal definition, not medical)

• Voluntary Manslaughter:the intentional killing of a human being committed (a)upon a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion; or (b) upon an unreasonable but honest belief that circumstances existed that justified deadly force. (Intent to kill was present in the mind of the offender, but malice was lacking)
• Involuntary Manslaughter: the unintentional killing of a human being committed: (a) recklessly; or (b) in the commission of , or attempt to commit, or flight form any felony, other than an inherently dangerous felony. The actions of the defendant were reckless, but there was no intent to kill.