The prime suspect is the person believed by law enforcement officers to have most likely perpetrated a crime being investigated. Generally, when a person is considered to be a prime suspect, there is evidence or a motive...
THE LEGAL PROCESS
principal
In general, a principal is a person or thing that is more important than others when identified for a particular purpose. The term also has specific meanings in various fields of law.
In criminal law, principal refers to a...
principal in the first degree
A principal in the first degree is a person who commits a crime. The term refers to the person with the intent to commit the crime, even if the actus reus is done through an agent who lacked the intent to commit a crime. The term is meant to...
principal in the second degree
A principal in the second degree is a person that is present at the scene of a crime and aids, abets, or encourages the commission of the crime with the required criminal intent. A principal in the second degree may also be referred to as an...
prior(s)
“Prior(s)” is a slang term often used in the law enforcement community to refer to an individual’s previous criminal record, generally including convictions and arrests. Prior convictions may result in harsher penalties under various state...
prison
Prison refers to a confinement facility for convicted felons sentenced to more than one year of imprisonment. Also known as a penitentiary. Prisons in the United States are divided into federal and state systems. By way of contrast, a jail is...
prisoner
A prisoner is someone being held in confinement.
Commonly, a prisoner is a criminal who is serving a prison sentence after being convicted of a crime, or a person who has been arrested by law enforcement and is being held...
prisoners' rights
Prisoners’ rights are the rights of the prisoners against discrimination or abuse within correctional facilities. Both federal and state laws govern the rights of the incarcerated and oversee the operation of the prisons. While prisoners do...
privacy
Overview:
There is a long and evolving history regarding the right to privacy in the United States. In the context of American jurisprudence, the Supreme Court first recognized the “right to privacy” in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965). Before...
private necessity
Private necessity is a defense in tort law against charges of trespass in situations where defendants have interfered with the plaintiff's property in an emergency to advance or protect their own interests.
In Benamon v....