Terms Used In South Carolina Code > Title 63 > Chapter 19 > Article 13 - Dispositional Powers of the Court

• Chambers: A judge's office.
• Child: means a person under the age of eighteen. See South Carolina Code 63-1-40
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Court: means the family court. See South Carolina Code 63-19-20
• Department: means the Department of Juvenile Justice. See South Carolina Code 63-19-20
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• 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.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Guardian: means a person who legally has the care and management of a child. See South Carolina Code 63-19-20
• 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.
• Judge: means the judge of the family court. See South Carolina Code 63-19-20
• 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.
• juvenile: means a person less than eighteen years of age. See South Carolina Code 63-19-20
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Parent: means biological parent, adoptive parents, step-parent, or person with legal custody. See South Carolina Code 63-19-20
• Parole board: means the Board of Juvenile Parole under the Department of Juvenile Justice. See South Carolina Code 63-19-20
• 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.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Status offense: means an offense which would not be a misdemeanor or felony if committed by an adult including, but not limited to, incorrigibility or beyond the control of parents, truancy, running away, playing or loitering in a billiard room, playing a pinball machine, or gaining admission to a theater by false identification. See South Carolina Code 63-19-20
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.