Black's Handbook of Criminal Law Terms

Clear thinking is crucial in the legal arena and involves critical thought about how words and phrases are used. This handbook contains police terms such as preventive detention and protective sweep, and phrases from judge-made law such as independent-source rule and open-fields doctrine. Terms such as credit-card crime and cyberstalking reflect technological and social changes. Meanwhile, legislation continues to be a source of new terms, such as Brady Act and Megan's Law. Use this handbook as a source to find your way through the maze of legal language.