Glossary [x] 

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abandonment - A parent's or custodian's act of leaving a child without adequate care, supervision, support or parental contact for an excessive period of time. Also, the desertion of one spouse by the other with the intent to terminate the marriage relationship.   

abstract of record - A short, abbreviated form of the case as found in the record.   

accessory - A person who assists in the commission of a crime, either before or after the fact.   

action in personam- An action against the person, founded on personal liability, in contrast to action in rem, an action for the recovery of a specific object, usually an item of personal property such as an automobile.   

adjudication - Giving or pronouncing a judgment or decree, or the rendering of a decision on a matter before a court.   

admissible evidence - Evidence which can legally and properly be used in court.   

admission - A statement tending to establish the guilt or liability of the person making the statement.   

adversary system - The system of trial practice in the United States and some other countries in which each of the opposing, or adversary, parties has the opportunity to present and establish opposing contentions before the court.   

affidavit- A written and sworn statement witnessed by a notary public or another official possessing the authority to administer oaths. Affidavits may be admitted into evidence.   

agent - One who has authority to act for another.   

alibi - A defense claim that the accused was somewhere else at the time a crime was committed.