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Chapter Sixteen
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Complaint | a formal notice that a lawsuit is being brought |
| Summons | a notice directing someone to appear in court to answer a complaint or charge |
| Discovery | process by which attorneys have opportunity to check facts and gather evidence |
| Settlement | in a legal case, the amount of money the defendant agrees to pay the plaintiff |
| prosecution | party who starts the legal procedure against another party for a violation of the law |
| crime | an act that breaks the law and causes harm to people or society in general |
| penal code | a state's written criminal laws |
| parole | to grant a prisoner early release from prison, with certian restrictions |
| mandatory sentencing | punishment that judges must impose according to what the law directs |
| arraignment | a hearing in which a suspect is charged and pleads guilty or not guilty |
| testimony | the statement a witness makes under oath |
| cross - examine | to question a witness at a trial or a hearing to check or discredit the testimony |
| acquittal | a vote of not guilty |
| hung jury | a jury cannot agree on a verdict |
| juvenile | `a person not yet legally an adult |
| juvenile delinquent | a child or teenager who commits a serious crime or repeatedly breaks the law |
| rehabilitate | to correct a persons behavior |