If you're arrested on a charge that can be punished by time in prison, the law gives you the right to legal representation. If you can't afford to hire a defense attorney, the court will appoint a public defender to represent you either free of charge or with a fee you can afford.

Assault is a crime in which one person physically harms another. Battery is deliberately causing physical harm to another person through physical acts.

Capital crimes are crimes of a particularly heinous nature such as murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, or treason. The penalty for committing a capital crime is usually a lengthy prison term or death by execution.

Abuse or maltreatment of a child includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and general, medical, and educational neglect. Serious cases of physical and sexual abuse come under the jurisdiction of state laws.

If you witness a crime, it's your primary duty to report it to the police. If the crime is a misdemeanor, the police are generally not able to cite the perpetrator for a crime not committed in their presence.

You have the right to defend yourself, your family, and your property from violence. Self-defense is a common plea in court cases involving violent crimes.

The process of bringing a criminal to justice is based on the principles of common law and the rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. A suspected criminal is generally arrested by the police, charged by a prosecutor, and tried by a court of law.

Crime can be defined as behavior that is punishable by fine or imprisonment, as regulated by the local, state, or federal authorities. By this definition, you commit a crime when you break an existing law.

Each state has its own laws and prosecutes criminals who break them. The federal government also has laws, and breaking these constitutes a federal crime.

Fraud is the deliberate misrepresentation or falsification of facts or articles with the aim of cheating, and can involve products, services, or practices.

If you're arrested and charged with a crime, you must appear before a judge for an initial hearing or arraignment. At this time, or in some states at a special bail hearing, the judge will set bail.

If you've been arrested, you'll generally want to talk to an attorney as soon as possible. You can hire a private attorney to advise and represent you, but if you can't afford to pay a private attorney, the court will appoint a public defender to represent you.

Generally speaking, ignorance of the law is no defense. Everybody knows it's illegal to peddle drugs, to drive while intoxicated, or to steal, and any plea of ignorance of the law against these infractions would be ridiculous.

In most states, a person under the age of 18 who breaks the law is tried in juvenile court. The public prosecutor files a petition with the court to try the offender as a child.

Before you hire an attorney, you may want to check his or her qualifications. To practice law, all attorneys must be state certified and belong to the state bar association.

To practice law, an attorney must be certified in the state in which he or she is to work. Certification requires passing a written examination which is held once or twice a year by the state bar office.

If you see a crime being committed, your first action should be to call the police. If this is not possible, you may take action to prevent the crime, but you should be careful that you're not putting yourself in any danger.

The criminal court is a fundamental institution in the justice system, and it's purpose is to decide whether a suspect of a crime is guilty or not, and if the verdict is guilty, to decide on punishment.

The district attorney represents the people in the prosecution of criminal behavior. When the police suspect a person of committing a crime, they may make an arrest and detain the suspect.

A subpoena is a legal document issued by a court requiring a specific person to appear in court to testify as a witness. Some subpoenas require a specific person to produce certain specified documents or records within a certain period of time, and may require both the person's appearance and the requested documents at the court.

If you're accused of a crime, your first action should be to establish whether or not you're under arrest. Ask the police whether or not you're free to go.

White-collar crime is a general term covering crimes that are not committed against people, but instead are usually financial crimes such as fraud, forgery, embezzlement, corporate corruption, tax evasion, or employee crimes.