G L O S S A R Y
O F
T E R M S
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TERM
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DEFINITION
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| Anachronism |
Something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred; an artifact that belongs to another time; a person who seems to be displaced in time; who belongs to another age.
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| Animus |
A feeling of animosity; ill will.
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| Attainted |
To impart stigma to; disgrace.
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| Citizen |
A person owing loyalty to and entitled by birth or naturalization to the protection of a state or nation; A resident of a city or town, especially one entitled to vote and enjoy other privileges there.
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| Clemency |
Leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice.
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| Constituents |
A resident of a district or member of a group represented by an elected official; One that authorizes another to act as a representative.
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| Democracy |
Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives; A political or social unit that has such a government; The common people, considered as the primary source of political power; Majority rule; The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.
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| Dilution |
The process of making weaker or less concentrated; A dilute or weakened condition.
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| Disenfranchise |
To deprive of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some privilege or immunity; especially: to deprive of the right to vote.
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| Felony |
A crime that has a greater punishment imposed by statute than that imposed on a misdemeanor; specifically: a federal crime for which the punishment may be death or imprisonment for more than a year.
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| Franchise |
A privilege or right officially granted a person or a group by a government, especially the
- constitutional or statutory right to vote,
- establishment of a corporation's existence,
- granting of certain rights and powers to a corporation, and
- legal immunity from
servitude, certain burdens, or other restrictions.
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| Incarcerated |
To be put into jail; To shut in; confine.
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| Misdemeanor |
A crime that carries a less severe punishment than a felony; specifically: a crime punishable by a fine and by a term of imprisonment not to be served in a penitentiary and not to exceed one year.
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| Pandering |
To cater to the lower tastes and desires of others or exploit their weaknesses.
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| Pardon |
To release (a person) from punishment; exempt from penalty; To let (an offense) pass without punishment.
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| Parole |
The release of a prisoner whose term has not expired on condition of sustained lawful behavior that is subject to regular monitoring by an officer of the law for a set period of time; The duration of such conditional release.
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| Partisan |
Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause.
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| Probation |
The act of suspending the sentence of a person convicted of a criminal offense and granting that person provisional freedom on the promise of good behavior.
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| Purge |
To remove by or as if by cleansing. Where felons are removed from a state's list of approved voters.
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| Recidivism |
A tendency to lapse into a previous pattern of behavior, especially a pattern of criminal habits.
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| Restitution |
The act of restoring to the rightful owner something that has been taken away, lost, or surrendered; The act of making good or compensating for loss, damage, or injury; indemnification.
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| Retribution |
Punishment imposed (as on a convicted criminal) for purposes of repayment or revenge for the wrong committed.
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| Sanction |
The penalty for noncompliance specified in a law or decree.
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| Suffrage |
The right or privilege of voting; franchise; The exercise of such a right.
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