| A | B |
|---|
| Defendant | In a criminal case, the person who is accused to committing a crime; in a civil case, the person who is being sued by another party (called a plaintiff) who alleges the defendant has injured or harmed him or her in some way. |
| Defamation | Defamation means harm to one’s reputation. Two examples of defamation are libel and slander. Libel is a written communication, such as a newspaper article, that is false and damages a person’s reputation. Slander is a spoken communication that is false and damages a person’s reputation |
| Degree | Legal extent of guilt or negligence |
| Delinquent | A juvenile who has committed an act which would be a crime if committed by an adult. |
| Destruction of Property | To willfully or maliciously destroy, damage, deface, or otherwise injure real or personal property without the consent of the owner or the person having custody or control of it |
| Detention | Detention means to physically restrain or confine an individual. In Virginia, a judge, intake officer, or magistrate may detain a juvenile for reasons prescribed by law. Detention is most often used to hold a juvenile pending a hearing. Juveniles are typically held in detention centers in Virginia |
| Detention Center | Sometimes called detention homes, places in the community where delinquents are held temporarily in secure custody pending court hearings. |
| Disorderly Conduct | Disturbing the peace by making loud noises, by fighting, or by publicly using obscene language |
| Disposition | The manner in which a case is settled or resolved |
| Dispositional Hearing | A hearing at which the court considers and selects the penalties and services which are appropriate for an offender. It is important to remember that the juvenile justice system is concerned not only with punishment, but also with rehabilitation |
| Domestic Relations | Refers to family relationships |
| Domestic Violence | A pattern of physically, sexually, and/or emotionally abusive behaviors used by one individual to assert power or maintain control over another in the context of an intimate or family relationship |
| Driving Under the Influence (“DUI”): | Operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs as determined by the amount of alcohol or drugs in that person’s blood. |
| Drug Paraphernalia | All equipment, products, and materials of any kind which are used for converting, producing, processing, preparing, testing, analyzing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing, concealing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing a controlled substance into the human body. |
| Drug Trafficking | The possession of large quantities of illegal drugs, which indicates the intent to sell for profit. |
| Due Process of Law | The guarantee that citizens are treated fairly by the government. A guarantee of due process is written in the U.S. Constitution in the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments |
