| A | B |
|---|
| Morality | values that govern a societys attitude toward right and wrong |
| Ethics | means of determining what a societys values ought to be |
| Honesty | character trait of a person who is open and truthful in dealing with others |
| Compassion | sympathy towards the difficulties of others |
| Justice | ability to treat all people fairly |
| Integrity | willingness to do the right thing regardless of personal consequences |
| Law | system of rules of conduct established by the government of a society to maintain stability and justice |
| Constitution | document that spells out the principles by which the government operates |
| Common law | decisions of the early law courts developed in England |
| Precedent | a judge is required to follow an earlier court decision when deciding a case with similar circumstances. Also called the doctrine of stare decisis. |
| Statutes | laws specifically passed by a governing body that has been created for a stated purpose |
| Legislature | the body of lawmakers of each state that is responsible for making statutory laws |
| Unconstitutional | any action or law that goes against the United States Constitution |
| Administrative law | rules and procedures that are established by regulatory agencies |
| Crime | an offense against the public at large |
| Prosecutor | the government attorney who presents the case in court against the person accused |
| Defendant | the person accused of a crime |
| Felony | a major crime punishable by imprisonment or death |
| Misdemeanor | a crime less serious than a felony that is punishable by a fine or a brief imprisonment in a county or city jail |
| Murder | the unlawful killing of another human being with malice aforethought |
| Assault | the attempt to commit a battery such as pointing or shooting a gun at someone |
| Kidnapping | the unlawful removal or restraint of a person against his or her will |
| Burglary | the breaking into |
| Robbery | the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal property of another through violence or threats |
