Criminal Law
| Types of Pleas and Withdrawal of a Guilty Plea |
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| When an accused has been charged with an offense, he has a choice of whether to enter a not guilty, a no contest, or a guilty plea. A not guilty plea is a plea in which the accused does not accept responsibility for the charged offense. After the accused has entered a not guilty plea, the matter is set for trial. Pre-trial procedures and trial preparations then begin.
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| UNLAWFUL SALE OR TRANSFER OF WEAPONS |
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| In some states, a person commits an offense if he or she sells, rents, leases, or lends a handgun to another person with the knowledge that the person intends to use the handgun unlawfully or intends to use the handgun in the commission of an unlawful act. A "handgun" for purposes of this offense is any firearm that is designed, made, or adapted to be fired with one hand, such as a pistol or a revolver. More... |
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| Stipulations of Expected Testimony, Trial Procedure, and Rules of Evidence in a Criminal Trial |
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| The parties in a criminal trial may stipulate or agree to the expected testimony of a witness that will not be able to attend or testify at trial. The parties may also stipulate to the contents of a document that will not be produced at trial. When the parties stipulate to expected witness testimony or to the contents of a document they are not stipulating to the admissibility or factual accuracy of the testimony or document. More... |
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| Production Immunity |
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| Although the concept of production immunity is relatively new, in 1886 the United States Supreme Court held that the compulsory production of private papers containing incriminating information violated the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Court has since found that as long as the subpoenaed papers were prepared voluntarily, the documents themselves cannot be said to contain compelled testimonial evidence. The documents therefore may not always be withheld on Fifth Amendment grounds. More... |
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| Capital Punishment or the Death Penalty |
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| In 2003, 65 inmates were executed by way of capital punishment or the death penalty. Capital punishment is punishment by death for capital crimes. This type of punishment is available in 38 states. Capital punishment is available for certain federal offenses.
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