Terms Used In New York Laws > Criminal Procedure > Part 3 > Title R - Procedures For Securing Attendance of Witnesses In Criminal Actions

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• Certified psychologist: means a person who is registered as a certified psychologist under Article one hundred fifty-three of the education law. See N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law 730.10
• Commissioner: means the state commissioner of mental health or the state commissioner of the office for people with developmental disabilities. See N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law 730.10
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• curd: as used in this article applies to the substance otherwise known as "pot cheese" or "cottage cheese. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 48
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Director: means (a) the director of a state hospital operated by the office of mental health or the director of a developmental center operated by the office for people with developmental disabilities, or (b) the director of a hospital operated by any local government of the state that has been certified by the commissioner as having adequate facilities to examine a defendant to determine if he is an incapacitated person, or (c) the director of community mental health services. See N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law 730.10
• Disposal plant: means the premises or place where bodies, carcasses or portions thereof of dead, dying, diseased, disabled or condemned animals or inedible meat are received and held for the purpose of burning, processing or rendering or otherwise obtaining the hides, skins, grease or meat therefrom in any manner whatsoever. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 96-Y
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Examination report: means a report made by a psychiatric examiner wherein he sets forth his opinion as to whether the defendant is or is not an incapacitated person, the nature and extent of his examination and, if he finds that the defendant is an incapacitated person, his diagnosis and prognosis and a detailed statement of the reasons for his opinion by making particular reference to those aspects of the proceedings wherein the defendant lacks capacity to understand or to assist in his own defense. See N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law 730.10
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Habeas corpus: A writ that is usually used to bring a prisoner before the court to determine the legality of his imprisonment. It may also be used to bring a person in custody before the court to give testimony, or to be prosecuted.
• Hearsay: Statements by a witness who did not see or hear the incident in question but heard about it from someone else. Hearsay is usually not admissible as evidence in court.
• Incapacitated person: means a defendant who as a result of mental disease or defect lacks capacity to understand the proceedings against him or to assist in his own defense. See N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law 730.10
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Order of examination: means an order issued to an appropriate director by a criminal court wherein a criminal action is pending against a defendant or by a court evaluating the capacity of an alleged violator in a parole revocation proceeding pursuant to subparagraph (xii) of paragraph (f) of subdivision three of § 259-i of the executive law, or by a family court pursuant to section 322. See N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law 730.10
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Psychiatric examiner: means a qualified psychiatrist or a certified psychologist who has been designated by a director to examine a defendant pursuant to an order of examination. See N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law 730.10
• Qualified psychiatrist: means a physician who:
  
  (a) is a diplomate of the American board of psychiatry and neurology or is eligible to be certified by that board; or,
  
  (b) is certified by the American osteopathic board of neurology and psychiatry or is eligible to be certified by that board. See N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law 730.10
• Recess: A temporary interruption of the legislative business.
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• subpoena: includes a "subpoena duces tecum. See N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law 610.10
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Subpoena duces tecum: A command to a witness to produce documents.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Transportation service: means the operation within the state of a vehicle or vehicles by a person not otherwise licensed to operate a disposal plant, for the purpose of transporting for hire unprocessed animal bodies, carcasses or portions thereof, and meat or meat products which are not intended for eventual use for human consumption. See N.Y. Agriculture and Markets Law 96-Y
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.