misdemeanants
Petty law violators
Misdemeanants are people who have committed misdemeanors—minor criminal offenses less serious than felonies.
The term appears mainly in legal and administrative contexts: The jail houses misdemeanants serving sentences under one year.
Compare with felons, who have committed more serious crimes.
Charge-reading court session
- bailCourt-set release payment
- pleaFormal request or defense
- summonsFormal court notification
- warrantFormal authorization document
indictment · defendant · prosecution · adjudication · infraction · violation · conviction · sentencing
Acceptable in quality
- probationSupervised trial period
- restitutionRestoring what was lost
- rehabilitationRecovery from injury/addiction
- paroleConditional early release
counseling · incarceration · curfew · reentry
Failing in duty
- underageBelow legal minimum years
- youthState of being immature
- adolescentPerson in puberty
- teenagerPerson aged thirteen-nineteen
reform · diversion · truancy · intervention · guardian
Stealing store merchandise
- vandalismWillful property damage
- trespassingUnauthorized presence on property
- disorderlyNot arranged neatly
- graffitiIllegal surface markings
loitering · jaywalking · larceny · pickpocketing · vagrancy · pilfering · prostitution · harassment
Civil judicial officer
- judgeOne who decides
- bailiffLegal proceeding overseer
- clerkOffice record-keeper
- docketCourt's case schedule
jurisdiction · bench · arraignment · defendant · hearing · motion · prosecutor · sentencing
arraignment
Charge-reading court session
warrant · indictment · defendant · prosecution · adjudication · infraction · violation · conviction · sentencing · jurisprudence
fine
Acceptable in quality
- probationSupervised trial period
- restitutionRestoring what was lost
- rehabilitationRecovery from injury/addiction
parole · counseling · incarceration · curfew · reentry
delinquent
Failing in duty
- underageBelow legal minimum years
- youthState of being immature
- adolescentPerson in puberty
teenager · reform · diversion · truancy · intervention · guardian
shoplifting
Stealing store merchandise
- vandalismWillful property damage
- trespassingUnauthorized presence on property
- disorderlyNot arranged neatly
graffiti · loitering · jaywalking · larceny · pickpocketing · vagrancy · pilfering · prostitution · harassment
magistrate
Civil judicial officer
docket · jurisdiction · bench · arraignment · defendant · hearing · motion · prosecutor · sentencing · courtroom
misdemeanantsfelons
Serious crime offenders
career criminals · habitual offenders · recidivists · kingpins · crime bosses