Organized crime is an ongoing coordinated criminal operation that systematically seeks to profit from unlawful activities that are high in demand. The continuing existence of organized crime is supported through corrupt officials who protect...
criminal law
outlaw
Historically, the term “outlaw” was used to refer to a person who was outside of the protection of the law. An accused criminal who refused to submit to legal process was declared to be an outlaw through a process called “outlawry.” As a...
overcharge
To charge more than the posted or advertised price. For certain industries, the government may regulate what an applicable rate should be, and any amount charged over that will be considered an overcharge. See 49 U.S....
overt act
Generally, an overt act refers to a specific and observable action or conduct that is taken by an individual, typically in furtherance of a particular purpose or intent. While the term "overt act" has different legal meanings depending on the...
paper hanger
Slang term for someone who writes bad checks.
Paper hanging is a kind of check fraud whereby someone tenders a check knowing that there are insufficient funds in the account. In paper hanging, the paper hanger takes advantage of the “float” (...
parental neglect
Parental neglect is a parent or legal guardian’s failure to provide a child with necessities. This is often considered a type of child abuse, and is also referred to as child neglect. For example, California Penal Code § 270 states that “[i...
parole
Parole is the conditional release of prisoners before the full completion of their sentence. The condition of the release of paroled prisoners is supervision by a public officer. The parole officer takes the role of supervising the parolee....
parolee
A parolee is a prisoner who is released on parole.
[Last updated in November of 2023 by the Wex Definitions Team]
partial defense
A partial defense is a type of defense that mitigates the defendant’s culpability. An example is the provocation defense in criminal law. If the defendant can prove that they were provoked to commit the crime, they can reduce their liability...
pat-down
A pat-down or frisk is a type of limited inspection where an officer checks an individual for weapons, while not conducting a full search of that individual's person.
A frisk involves a patting-down of a person's outer...