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Frequently Asked Questions About Criminal Defense
Q: What is a capital offense?
A: A crime
for which the death penalty may be imposed.
Q: What is a common-law crime?
A: A crime
that is punishable under the common law, rather than by force of statute.
Q: What is common law?
A: The body of law
derived from judicial decisions, rather than from statutes or constitutions.
Q: What is a computer crime?
A: A crime
requiring knowledge of computer technology, such as sabotaging or stealing
computer data or using a computer to commit some other crime.
Q: What is corporate crime?
A: A crime
committed either by a corporate body or its representatives acting on its
behalf.
Q: What is a crime of omission?
A: An offense
that carries as its material component the failure to act.
Q: What is a crime of passion?
A: A crime
committed in the heat of an emotionally charges moment, with no opportunity to
reflect on what is happening.
Q: What is a federal crime?
A: A criminal
offense under a federal statute.
Q: What is hate crime?
A: A crime motivated
by the victim's race, color, ethnicity, religion, or national origin.
Q: What is white collar
crime?
A: A nonviolent crime usually involving cheating or
dishonesty in commercial matters.
Q: What is the Miranda
rule?
A: The doctrine that a criminal suspect in police custody must
be informed of certain constitutional rights before being interrogated.
Q: What is a criminal lawyer?
A: A lawyer
whose primary work is to represent criminal defendants.
Q: What is criminal law?
A: The body of law
defining offenses against the community at large, regulating how suspects are
investigated, charged, and tried, and establishing punishments for convicted
offenders.
Q: What is a felony?
A: A serious crime
usually punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or by death.
Q: What is a misdemeanor?
A: A crime that is
less serious than a felony and is usually punishable by fine, penalty,
forfeiture, or confinement in a place other than prison.