| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Exonerate | Removal of a charge, responsibility or duty. |
| Expunction | Official and formal erasure of a record or partial contents of a record. |
| Extenuating circumstances | Circumstances which render a crime less aggravated, heinous, or reprehensible than it would otherwise be. |
| Extradition | Surrender by one state to another of a person accused or convicted of an offense outside its own territory and within territorial jurisdiction of the other, with the other state which is competent to try him/her, demanding his/her surrender. |
| Family allowance | A small amount of money set aside from the estate of the deceased. Its purpose is to provide for the surviving family members during the administration of the estate. |
| Felony | A crime more serious than a misdemeanor, carrying a penalty of possible incarceration in a state prison facility. |
| Fiduciary | A person having a legal relationship of trust and confidence to another and having a duty to act primarily for the other's benefit: i.e., a guardian, trustee or executor. |
| File | To place a paper in the official custody of the clerk of court/court administrator to enter into the files or records of a case. |
| Filed in open court | Court documents entered into the file in court. |
| Finding | Formal conclusion by a judge or regulatory agency on issues of fact. Also, a conclusion by a jury regarding a fact. |
| First appearance | The initial appearance of an arrested person before a judge to determine whether or not there is probable cause for his/her arrest. Generally, the person comes before a judge within hours of the arrest. Also called initial appearance. |
| Forfeiture | The loss of property or a privilege due to breaking a law. |
| Fraud | Intentional deception to deprive another person of property or to injure that person in some way. |
| Fugitive | A person who flees from one state to another to avoid prosecution. |
| Garnishment | A legal proceeding in which a debtor's money, in the possession of another (called the garnishee) is applied to the debts of the debtor, such as when an employer garnishes a debtor's wages. |
| General jurisdiction | Refers to courts that have no limit on the types of criminal and civil cases they may hear. |
| Good/Gain time | A reduction in sentenced time in prison as a reward for good behavior. It usually is one-third to one-half off the maximum sentence. |
| Grand jury | A jury of inquiry of not more than 21 and not less than 15 persons, with at least 12 concurring before an indictment may be returned. |
| Grantor | The person who sets up a trust. |
| Guardian | 1. A person appointed by will or by law to assume responsibility for incompetent adults or minor children. If a parent dies, this will usually be the other parent. If both die, it probably will be a close relative. |
Glossary
