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A
A Writ of Habeas Corpus

A Writ of Habeas Corpus means “that you have the body” of a detainee brought before the court to determine legality of said detainment

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A Writ of Habeas Corpus
Antisocial personality disorder

A personality disorder that is characterized by a lack of empathy and remorse, manipulative and impulsive behavior, and a tendency to engage in criminal activity.

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Antisocial personality disorder
Anxiety disorder

A mental disorder that is characterized by anxiety.

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Anxiety disorder
Assault

A threat or attempt to inflict offensive physical contact or bodily harm on a person that puts the person in immediate danger of or in apprehension of such harm or contact

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Assault
Autopsy

A medical examination of a body to determine the cause of death.

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Autopsy
B
Ballistics

The study of the trajectory of a bullet or other projectile.

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Ballistics
Battery

Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the act of creating apprehension of such contact. Battery is a specific common law offense, although the term is used more generally to refer to any unlawful offensive physical contact with another person.

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Battery
Bipolar disorder

A mental disorder that is characterized by periods of mania and depression.

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Bipolar disorder
Bipolar Personality Disorder

Bipolar Disorder was formerly called manic depression. It is a mental health condition that causes a person to suffer from extreme mood swings that include emotional highs and lows.

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Bipolar Personality Disorder
Blackmail

Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to family members or associates rather than to the general public. These acts can also involve using threats of physical, mental or emotional harm, or of criminal prosecution, against the victim or someone close to the victim. 

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Blackmail
Blood spatter

The pattern that is formed when blood is sprayed onto a surface.

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Blood spatter
boot camp

A military-style program for juvenile offenders that is designed to instill discipline and structure.

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boot camp
Bribery

Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty.

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Bribery
Burglary

Burglary is prosecuted as a felony or misdemeanor and involves trespassing, entering a building or automobile, or loitering unlawfully with intent to commit any crime, but usually some type of theft.

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Burglary
C
Capital murder

A murder that is punishable by death.

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Capital murder
capital punishment

The punishment of death for a capital crime.

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capital punishment
Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment is a state-sanctioned practice of legally killing a person as a punishment for a capital crime.

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Capital Punishment
Cell block

A section of a prison where inmates are housed in individual cells.

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Cell block
Common Law

In law, Common Law (also known as judicial precedent or judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions. The defining characteristic of “common law” is that it arises as precedent.

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Common Law
Competency

A legal term that describes a person’s ability to understand the criminal proceedings against them and to assist in their own defense.

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Competency
Contract killing

A murder that is carried out for financial gain, usually involving a professional hitman.

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Contract killing
Crime scene

The location of a crime.

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Crime scene
Criminal

A person who has committed a crime.

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Criminal
Criminal profiler

A person who uses psychological techniques to analyze a criminal’s behavior in order to provide information that can be used in an investigation.

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Criminal profiler
Cross-examination

The questioning of a witness by the attorney for the opposing side in order to test the accuracy of their testimony.

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Cross-examination
D
Death penalty

The punishment of death for a capital crime.

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Death penalty
Death row

The section of a prison where inmates who have been sentenced to death are held.

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Death row
death row

The section of a prison where inmates who have been sentenced to death are held.

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death row
Depression

A mental disorder that is characterized by feelings of sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration.

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Depression
Detective

A police officer who is responsible for investigating crimes.

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Detective
DNA

The unique genetic information that is contained in the cells of living organisms.

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DNA
E
Electric chair

A method of execution in which an electric current is passed through the body of the condemned person, causing death by electrocution.

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Electric chair
Evidence

A piece of information that is used to prove or disprove a fact.

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Evidence
Execution

The carrying out of a death sentence.

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Execution
Exoneree

A person who has been convicted of a crime and later exonerated.

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Exoneree
Eyewitness

A person who saw an event take place.

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Eyewitness
F
False Confession

A confession that is given by a person who is not guilty of the crime.

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False Confession
Familicide

Familicide or Family Annihilation is the act of killing one’s own family members, usually in quick succession and often falling under one of four motives

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Familicide
Felony murder

A murder that is committed during the course of another felony, such as robbery or rape.

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Felony murder
Fingerprints

The unique patterns that are formed by the ridges on the fingers and thumbs.

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Fingerprints
Firing squad

A method of execution in which the condemned person is shot to death by a group of gunmen.

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Firing squad
First-degree murder

A murder that is premeditated or carried out in a particularly heinous manner.

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First-degree murder
For-Profit Prison

A prison that is operated by a private company for profit.

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For-Profit Prison
Forensic psychology

The application of psychology to the criminal justice system.

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Forensic psychology
G
Gangland murder

A murder that is committed as part of or in furtherance of criminal gang activity.

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Gangland murder
Gas chamber

A method of execution in which the condemned person is placed in a chamber and exposed to poisonous gas, causing death by asphyxiation.

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Gas chamber
H
halfway house

A facility where people who have been convicted of crimes can live and receive treatment and counseling.

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halfway house
Hanging

A method of execution in which the condemned person is hanged by the neck until death.

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Hanging
Hanging

Execution by hanging is, in all reality, strangulation. It restricts the person’ air supply at the neck. Unconsciousness occurs between two and four minutes and death could take as long as ten minutes or more. This then is actually death by asphyxiation.

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Hanging
Hearsay

A statement that is made by a witness that is not based on their personal knowledge.

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Hearsay
Histrionic Personality Disorder

Histrionic Personality Disorder is one of 10 personality disorders. It falls into the same classification as borderline, antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders.

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Histrionic Personality Disorder
I
Insanity

A legal term that describes a mental state in which a person cannot understand the nature of their actions or cannot tell right from wrong.

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Insanity
Interrogation

The questioning of a suspect by law enforcement in an attempt to obtain information about a crime.

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Interrogation
J
Jailhouse Snitch

An inmate who provides information to the police or prosecutors in exchange for leniency.

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Jailhouse Snitch
Jails

A facility where people are incarcerated as punishment for crimes they have committed.

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Jails
Judge

A public official who presides over a court of law and is responsible for ensuring that the law is followed.

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Judge
Jury

A group of people who are selected to hear the evidence in a trial and decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty.

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Jury
Juvenile detention

A facility where juveniles who have been accused or convicted of crimes are held.

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Juvenile detention
L
Lethal injection

A method of execution in which a lethal dose of drugs is injected into the veins of the condemned person.

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Lethal injection
Lie detector

A machine that is used to detect lies by measuring physiological responses, such as heart rate and blood pressure.

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Lie detector
Life imprisonment

A sentence of imprisonment for life with no possibility of parole.

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Life imprisonment
life imprisonment

A sentence of imprisonment for life with no possibility of parole.

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life imprisonment
M
Malingering

The act of feigning or exaggerating mental illness for personal gain.

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Malingering
mandatory sentencing

A sentencing guideline that requires a minimum sentence for certain crimes.

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mandatory sentencing
Manslaughter

A homicide that is not premeditated or planned, or that is committed in the heat of the moment.

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Manslaughter
mass incarceration

The large-scale imprisonment of people.

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mass incarceration
Mass murderer

A person who kills four or more people in a single event (not including the killer).

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Mass murderer
Maternal Filicide

Maternal Filicide is the act of killing one’s own child / children. Maternal filicide perpetrators fall into one of five major motives.

altruistic filicide | acutely psychotic filicide | maltreatment filicide | unwanted child filicide | spouse revenge filicide

Filicide is usually committed by the mother. World psychiatric literature on maternal filicide found filicidal mothers to have frequent depression, psychosis, prior mental health treatment and suicidal thoughts.

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Maternal Filicide
Mental illness

A general term for a mental disorder.

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Mental illness
Munchausen by Proxy

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy simply put is an attention-seeking, sociopathic disorder that can often overlap with other disorders, such as narcissistic personality disorder and/ or borderline personality disorder.  

The person with Munchausen by Proxy (also now referred to as factitious disorder imposed on another or FDIA) gains much sought after attention – which is in fact the true goal – by seeking medical help for exaggerated or made-up symptoms of a child (or perhaps elderly person) in their care.

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Munchausen by Proxy
N
Negligent homicide

A homicide that is the result of negligence or carelessness, but not intentional.

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Negligent homicide
Neurosis

A mental disorder that is characterized by anxiety or depression.

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Neurosis
Nolle Prosequi

Nolle prosequi, means “to be unwilling to pursue”. It is used to voluntarily end a criminal case before trial or rendering a verdict

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Nolle Prosequi
O
Obsessive-compulsive disorder

A mental disorder that is characterized by obsessions and compulsions.

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Obsessive-compulsive disorder
P
Parole

A sentence in which a person convicted of a crime is released from prison before their sentence is complete, under the supervision of a parole officer.

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Parole
Parricide

Parricide | The Act of Killing One’s Own Parents | Author This site contains affiliate links. We may, at no cost to you, receive a commission for purchases made through these links Parricide is a type of murder or murder-suicide in which a perpetrator kills a parent (mother or father) or another near relative such as a sister, brother, aunt, uncle, first cousin or in-laws. Since the 1980s, the term Parricide has become increasingly identified by the public as the killing of one’s own parents.  According to a study in 2019, Parricide is the rarest form of murder. Parricide is also predominately committed by adult,

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Parricide
Pathology

The study of the structure and function of the body’s organs and tissues.

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Pathology
Police Brutality

The use of excessive or unnecessary force by police officers.

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Police Brutality
Polygraph

A machine that is used to detect lies by measuring physiological responses, such as heart rate and blood pressure.

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Polygraph
Post-traumatic stress disorder

A mental disorder that is characterized by flashbacks, nightmares, and avoidance of anything that reminds the person of the trauma.

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Post-traumatic stress disorder
Prison

A facility where people are incarcerated as punishment for crimes they have committed.

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Prison
prison industrial complex

The system of financial incentives that exist for prisons and other criminal justice institutions.

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prison industrial complex
Prisons

A facility where people are incarcerated as punishment for crimes they have committed.

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Prisons
Probation

A sentence in which a person convicted of a crime is released into the community under the supervision of a probation officer.

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Probation
Psychiatric hospital

A hospital that specializes in the treatment of mental disorders.

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Psychiatric hospital
Psychopath

A personality disorder that is characterized by a lack of empathy and remorse, manipulative and impulsive behavior, and a tendency to engage in criminal activity.

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Psychopath
Psychopathy

A personality disorder that is characterized by a lack of empathy and remorse, manipulative and impulsive behavior, and a tendency to engage in criminal activity.

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Psychopathy
Psychopathy

Psychopathy is a neuropsychiatric disorder marked by deficient emotional responses, lack of empathy, and poor behavioral controls, commonly resulting in persistent antisocial deviance and criminal behavior.

A psychopath is a person with a chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior.

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Psychopathy
Psychosis

A mental disorder that is characterized by a loss of contact with reality and an impaired ability to function.

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Psychosis
Psychotherapy

The treatment of mental disorders through the use of psychological techniques.

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Psychotherapy
R
Racial Profiling

The act of targeting people for police or security scrutiny based on their race or ethnicity.

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Racial Profiling
Recidivism

The act of repeating an offense.

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Recidivism
Rehabilitation

The process of helping a person who has been convicted of a crime to lead a law-abiding life.

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Rehabilitation
S
Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a long-term mental disorder involving a breakdown in the relation between thought, emotion and behavior, leading to faulty perception, inappropriate actions and feelings, withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy and delusion and a sense of mental fragmentation.

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Schizophrenia
Second-degree murder

A murder that is not premeditated but is carried out with intent to kill.

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Second-degree murder
Sentencing

The imposition of a penalty on a person who has been convicted of a crime.

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Sentencing
Serial arsonist

A person who sets fire to multiple buildings or other property over a period of time.

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Serial arsonist
Serial killer

A person who murders three or more people, usually in service of abnormal psychological gratification, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them.

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Serial killer
Serial rapist

A person who commits multiple rapes, usually of strangers, over a period of time.

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Serial rapist
Sociopath

A personality disorder that is characterized by a lack of empathy and remorse, manipulative and impulsive behavior, and a tendency to engage in criminal activity.

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Sociopath
Sociopathy

Sociopathy refers to a pattern of antisocial behaviors and attitudes. These include manipulation, deceit, aggression and a lack of empathy for others. Sociopathy is a non-diagnostic term, and it is not synonymous with “psychopathy,” though the overlap quite often leads to confusion. Sociopaths may or may not break the law, but use tactics of exploiting and manipulating others to gain for themselves what they desire.

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Sociopathy
Solitary confinement

The practice of isolating inmates in individual cells for long periods of time, typically 23 hours a day with no human contact.

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Solitary confinement
solitary confinement

The practice of isolating inmates in individual cells for long periods of time, typically 23 hours a day with no human contact.

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solitary confinement
Spree killer

A person who kills two or more people in a short period of time (usually within 24 hours) in multiple locations.

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Spree killer
Statutory Law

Statutory Law or Statute Law is written law passed by a body of legislature. This is as opposed to oral or customary law; or regulatory law promulgated by the executive or common law of the judiciary

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Statutory Law
T
Testimony

A statement made by a witness under oath.

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Testimony
The Psychology of Murder

Murder is the unlawful killing of another human person with malice aforethought, as defined in Common Law countries. Murder is generally distinguished from other forms of homicide by the elements of malice aforethought and the lack of lawful justification. All jurisdictions, ancient and modern, consider it a most serious crime and therefore impose severe penalty on its commission. The Psychology of Murder Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being. When a person, of sound memory and discretion, unlawfully kills any reasonable creature in being with malice aforethought includes four basic elements: 1.) Intent to kill, 2.) Intent to inflict grievous bodily

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The Psychology of Murder
Third-degree murder

A murder that is not premeditated but is committed in the course of another felony.

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Third-degree murder
three-strikes law

A law that imposes a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment on a person who is convicted of a third felony.

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three-strikes law
Tort

A tort, in common law jurisdiction, is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. It can include intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, financial loss, injury, invasion of privacy, and numerous other harms.

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Tort
Toxicology

The study of the effects of poisons on the human body.

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Toxicology
True crime

A genre of books, movies, and TV shows that focus on real-life criminal cases.

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True crime
V
Vehicular homicide

A homicide that is committed by operating a vehicle in a reckless or negligent manner.

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Vehicular homicide
Verdict

The decision of a jury or judge in a criminal case.

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Verdict
W
work release

A program in which inmates are allowed to leave prison during the day to work and return at night.

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work release
Wrongful Conviction

A conviction that is based on false or incomplete evidence.

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Wrongful Conviction
Gerald-and-Charleen Gallego
Gerald Gallego / Charlene Williams / The Gallego Sex Slaves Killers
When he mentioned his desire for ‘disposable sex slaves’, the sadistic little bitch in her spirit was ignited at once.
Tracy Edwards Stopped Jeffrey Dahmer
When Tracy Edwards met Jeffrey Dahmer in 1991, he had no idea he was about to reveal the Milwaukee Canniibal and become a hero
Joel Rifkin / New York’s Most Prolific Serial Killer
Something about him set him apart that made him natural prey to all manner of cruelties. So he turned the tables
Richard Speck
Richard Speck Committed the Crime of the Century
Richard Speck was a mass murderer who systematically tortured, raped and murdered eight student nurses in Chicago, Illinois on July 14, 1966.