Legal Dictionary of Pakistan
Quick lookup for English, Urdu, and Latin legal terms used in Pakistani jurisprudence.
Arrestable offense
see offense (1).
Oailable offense
a criminal charge for which a defendant may be released from custody after providing proper security <misdemeanor theft is a bailable offense>.
acluded offense
See lesser included offense under OFFENSE.
acquisitive offense.
An offense characterized by the unlawful appropriation of another's property. ( This is a generic term that refers to a variety of crimes (such as larceny) rather than a particular one. anticipatory offense. See inchoate offense.
allied offenses
criminal law. two or more crimes with elements so similar that the commission of one is automatically the commission of the other.
anticipatory offense
see inchoate offense under offense
arrestable offense
. English law. An offense for which the punishment is fixed by law or for which a statute authorizes imprisonment for five years, or an attempt to commit such an offense. ( This statutory category, created in 1967, abolished the traditional distinction between felonies and misdemeanors. - Also spelled (esp. in BrE) arrestable offence.
capital offense
See OFFENSE (1)
civil offense
See public tort under TORT.
cognate offense
. A lesser offense that is related to the greater offense because it shares several of the elements of the greater offense and is of the same class or category. ( For example, shoplifting is a cognate offense of larceny because both crimes require the element of taking property with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of that property. Cf. lesser included offense.
continuing offense
A crime that is committed over a period of time, such as a conspiracy, so that the last act of the crime controls for the commencement of the statute of limitations.
cumulative offense
See OFFENSE (1)
divisible offense
. A crime that includes one or more crimes of lesser grade. ( For example, murder is a divisible offense comprising assault, battery, and assault with intent to kill.
entry and detainer, and libel on a private person. petty offense
A minor or insignificant crime. "[Me find ... an apparent implication that a 'petty offense' is not a 'crime.' Much could be said for such a position but it is not the law at the present time. In the federal penal code, for example, it is provided that any misdemeanor 'the penalty for which does not exceed imprisonment for a period of six months or a fine of not more than $500, or both, is a petty offense."' Rollin M. Perkins & Ronald N. Boyce, Criminal Law 22 (3d ed. 1982) (quoting 18 USCA ยง 1(3)). political offense. See POLITICAL OFFENSE.
extraneous offense
An offense beyond or unrelated to the offense for which a defendant is on trial.
graded offense
A crime that is divided into various degrees of severity with corresponding levels of punishment, such as murder (first-degree and second-degree) or assault (simple and aggravated). See DEGREE (2).
graded offense.
See OFFENSE (1)
impeachable offense
See IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE.
inchoate offense
A step toward the commission of another crime, the step in itself being serious enough to merit punishment. ( In criminal law, the three inchoate offenses are attempt, conspiracy, and solicitation. The term is sometimes criticized (see quot. be-low). - Also termed anticipatory offense; inchoate crime; preliminary crime.
included offense
. See lesser included offense.
index offense.
One of eight classes of crimes reported annually by the FBI in the Uniform Crime Report. ( The eight classes are murder (and nonnegligent homicide), rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, arson, and auto theft. - Also termed index crime.
indictable offense
. A crime that can be prosecuted only by indictment. ( In federal court, such an offense is one punishable by death or by imprisonment for more than one year or at hard labor. Fed. R. Crim. P. 7(a). See INDICTMENT.
joinder of offenses
See JOINDER.
joint offense
See OFFENSE (1).
lesser included offense
A crime that is composed of some, but not all, of the elements of a more serious crime and that is necessarily committed in carrying out the greater crime <battery is a lesser included offense of murder>. ( For double jeopardy purposes, a lesser included offense is considered the "same offense" as the greater offense, so that acquittal or conviction of either offense precludes a separate trial for the other. - Also termed included offense; necessarily included offense. Cf. cognate offense.
liquor offense
Any crime involving the inappropriate use or sale of intoxicating liquor. See DRAM-SHOP LIABILITY; DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED.
merger of offenses
See MERGER (4)
military offense.
An offense, such as desertion, that lies within the jurisdiction of a military court. See COURT-MARTIAL.
multiple offense
An offense that violates more than one law but that may requiredifferent proof so that an acquittal or conviction under one statute does not exempt the defendant from prosecution under another.different proof so that an acquittal or conviction under one statute does not exempt the defendant from prosecution under another.
necessarily included offense
See lesser included offense.
negligent offense
A violation of law arising from a defective discharge of duty or from criminal negligence See criminal negligence under NEGLIGENCE.
object offense
The crime that is the object of the defendant's attempt, solicitation, conspiracy, or complicity. ( For example, murder is the object offense in a charge of attempted murder. - Also termed target offense.
offense
1. A violation of the law; a crime, often a minor one. See CRIME.
offense against property
A crime against another's personal property. ( The commonlaw offenses against property were larceny, embezzlement, cheating, cheating by false pretenses, robbery, receiving stolen goods, malicious mischief, forgery, and uttering forged instruments. Although the term crimes against property, a common term in modern usage, includes crimes against real property, the term offense against property is traditionally restricted to personal property. Cf. CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY.
offense against property.
See OFFENSE (1.)
offense against public justice and authority
A crime that impairs the administration of justice. ( The common-law offenses of this type were obstruction of justice, barratry, maintenance, champerty, embracery, escape, prison breach, rescue, misprision of felony, compounding a crime, subornation of perjury, bribery, and misconduct in office.
offense against public justice and authority.
See OFFENSE (1).
offense against the habitation
A crime against another's house - traditionally either arson or burglary.
offense against the habitation.
See OFFENSE (1).
offense against the person
A crime against the body of another human being. ( The common-law offenses against the person were murder, manslaughter, mayhem, rape, assault, battery, robbery, false imprisonment, abortion, seduction, kidnapping, and abduction. Cf. CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS.
offense against the person.
See OFFENSE (1).
offense against the public health, safety, comfort, and morals
A crime traditionally viewed as endangering the whole of society. ( The common-law offenses of this type were nuisance, bigamy, adultery, fornication, lewdness, illicit cohabitation, incest, miscegenation, sodomy, bestiality, buggery, abortion, and seduction.
offense against the public health, safety, comfort, and morals.
See OFFENSE (1). offense against the public peace. See OFFENSE (1).
offense against the public peace
A crime that tends to disturb the peace. ( The common-law offenses of this type were riot, unlawful assembly, dueling, rout, affray, forcible
petty offense
See OFFENSE (1).
political offense
A crime directed against the security or governmental system of a nation, such as treason, sedition, or espionage. 0 Under principles of international law, the perpetrator of such an offense cannot be extradited.
public offense
See OFFENSE (1).
public-welfare offense
See OFFENSE ( I)
quasi-offense
See OFFENSE (2).
quasi-offense. Civil law
A negligent unlawful act that causes injury or loss to another and that gives rise to a claim for damages. ( This is equivalent to the common-law tort of negligence. - Also termed quasi-delict.