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Useful Acronyms/Definitions:
General Criminal Terms
Defendant ("Δ"): person charged with and properly indicted for the commission of a crime
Investigative Terms
Confidential Informant ("CI"): A person (usually regularly engaged in criminal activities or regularly associated with people engaged in criminal activities), who police receive confidential "tips" from that they use in the prosecution of more serious crimes.
Police generally assert the need for CIs to remain anonymous in warrant applications because their disclosure both would limit their effectiveness as CIs (because criminals would stop giving them truthful information) and because their identification might pose a risk of retribution and harm by other criminals about whom they have provided information (i.e., "ratted out").
Magistrate: A judge who assists the court in criminal procedural matters.
The role of magistrates varies substantially across jurisdictions. Within the Federal system, United States Magistrate Judges are "Article I" judges (their office is created by Congress, not by Article III of the U.S. Constitution). USMJ's have long-term appointments (of many years), and assist Article III trial judges (U.S. District Judges) in a variety of civil and criminal matters. Most relevant to criminal procedure, they often initially review applications for search or arrest warrants.
Adjudicative Terms
Arraignment: A formal proceding at which a criminal defendant is informed of the charges against them, and directed to enter a plea (usually "guilty" or "not guilty"). (In rare cases, a judge may enter a plea of "not guilty" on the defendant's behalf.) The proceedings often are connected to and concurrent with a court's determination on bail.
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Released (on one's) Own Recognizance (ROR): Generally the "lightest" form of pre-trial detention determination made at a bail hearing. The defendant is "released on his/her own recognizance" (ROR'ed), meaning that their promise to appear in court is sufficient to the judge. Often this promise is accompanied by a limitation on travel outside the jurisdiction without prior permission from the court.
Law Enforcement Agencies/Authorities
Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"): a U.S. federal criminal law enforcement agency, with broad jursidiction under U.S. federal law (as opposed to other U.S. federal law enforcement agencies with more limited/specific jurisdiction, such as the Customs and Border Patrol)
Class Whiteboard Images (Winter Semester 2017-2018)
