Compiled by: Hegel Ysadore D Ragasajo-BS Criminology-IV

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE DEFINITIONS TERM

Criminal Procedure – is the method pointed out by law for the apprehension, trial or prosecution and
fixing the punishment of those persons who have broken or violated or are supposed to have broken
or violated, the law prescribed for the regulation of the conduct of the people of the community, and
who have thereby laid themselves liable to fine or imprisonment or both.
It refers to the pleading, evidence and practice in criminal prosecutions. It
provides or regulates the steps by which one who violates a criminal statute is punished.

Complaint - is a sworn written statement charging a person with an

offense,subscribed by the offender party,any peace officer,or other
public officer charged with the enforcement of the law violated.

Information - is an accusation in writing charging a person with an offense subscribed by the prosecutor
and filed with the court.

Criminal Action - One by which the State prosecutes a person for 

an act/omission punishable by law.

Criminal Jurisdiction - Authority of the court to hear and try a 

particular offense and to impose the punishment provided by law.

Duplicity of offenses -The information must charge only one offense.

Private Crimes – Those which cannot be prosecuted except

upon complaint filed by the aggrieved/offended party. 

Restitution - Returning of the thing itself, with allowance for 

deterioration or diminution of value. 

Reparation - Payment of damage caused,taking into consideration

the sentimental value of the thing to the injured party.

Indemnification - Payment of consequential damages suffered by

the injured party, his family or a 3rd person by reason of the crime.

Prejudicial Question - That which arises in a case the resolution of

which is a logical antecedent of the issue involved therein, and the
cognizance of which pertains to another tribunal.

Preliminary Investigation - An inquiry/proceeding to determine 

Whether or Not (WON) there is sufficient ground to engender a
well-founded belief that a crime has been committed and the
respondent is probably guilty thereof, and should be held for trial.

Probable Cause - it is the existence of such facts and 

circumstances as would excite the belief, ina reasonable mind
acting on the facts within the knowledge of the prosecutor, that the
person charged was guilty of the crime for which he was prosecuted.
In Flagrante Delicto – Literally, caught in the act of committing a
crime. When the person to be arrested has committed, is actually 
committing or is attempting to commit an offense in the presence 
of the peace officer or private person who arrested him.

Arrest - is the taking of a person into custody in order that that he 
may be bound to answer for the commission of an offense.

Illegal Arrest - If the arrest of a person is not justified by any of the instances
of a warrantless arrest under Rule 113, Sec. 5.
The fact that the person arrested did not actually commit the crime
does not render the arrest illegal.

Custodial Investigation - It involves the questioning initiated by law enforcement officers

 after a person has been taken into custody
or otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way.

Re-Enactment – A demonstration by the accused of how he 

committed the crime. It is a police contrivance designed to test the
truthfulness of the statements of the witness who had confessed to 
the commission of the crime.

Bail - is the security given for the release of a person in custody

of the law,furnished by him or a bondsman,to guarantee his 
appearance before any court as required under the conditions 
of the bail.

Recognizance - Obligation of record, entered into before some 

court or magistrate duly authorized to take it, with the condition to
do some particular act, the most usual condition in criminal cases 
being the appearance of the accused for trial.

Property Bond – An undertaking constituted as a lien on the real

property given as security for the amount of the bail.

Cash Bond - Cash corresponding to the amount of bail fixed by the 

court or recommended by the prosecutor who investigated or filed 
the case.

Capital Offense - An offense which, under the law existing at the 

time of its commission and of the application for admission to bail,
may be punished with death.

Motion To Quash (MTQ) - Formerly called a demurrer, it is a special 

pleading, filed by the accused, which hypothetically admits the truth
of the facts spelled out in the complaint/information and sets up a
matter,which, if duly proved, would preclude further proceedings.

Prescription of the Crime - Loss/waiver by the state of its right to

prosecute a crime.

Prescription of the Penalty -  Loss/waiver by the State of its right to demand service of the penalty
imposed.

Double Jeopardy - When a person is charged with an offense and 

the case is terminated either by acquittal or conviction or in any 
other manner without the express consent of the accused, the
latter cannot again be charged with the same or identical offense.

Provisional Dismissal - A case is dismissed without prejudice to its

being refiled or revived.

Deposition - Testimony of the witness that is taken upon oral

question or written interrogatories, in opencourt, in pursuance of
(1) a commission to take testimony issued by a court or (2) under 
a general law or court rule on the subject, reduced to writing and
duly authenticated

Arraignment – The stage where the accused is formally informed of

the charge against him by reading before him the 
information/complaint and asking him whether he pleads guilty or 
not guilty.

Plea Bargaining - Process where the accused, the offended party 

and the prosecution work out a mutually satisfactory disposition of
the case,subject to court approval.

Improvident Plea -  Plea without proper information as to all the

circumstances affecting it; based upon a mistaken assumption or
misleading information/advice

Pre-Trial Order - Issued by the court after the pre-trial conference.

Trial - Examination before a competent tribunal of the facts put in

issue in a case, for the purpose of determining such issue.

Demurrer to Evidence - Objection by one of the parties to the effect that the evidence which his
adversary produced
is insufficient in point of law, whether true or not, to make out a case or sustain the issue.

Rebuttal Evidence - Any evidence to explain, repeal, counteract or 

disprove the adversary’s proof.

Sur-rebuttal Evidence - Proof to meet or refute those new matters 

taken up by the adverse party during the rebuttal stage, or to clarify 
matters that were beclouded or made ambiguous.

Judgment – The adjudication by the court that the accused is guilty

or not guilty of the offense charged and the imposition on him of
the proper penalty and civil liability, if any.

Opinion - Informal expression of the views of the court

Ratio Decidende - Provides for the basic reason for the judgment
Acquittal -  A finding of not guilty based on the merits, either:
1) The evidence does not show that his guilt is beyond reasonable 
    doubt; or
2) A dismissal of the case after the prosecution has rested its case 
    and upon motion of the accused on the ground that the evidence 
    fails to show beyond doubt that accused is guilty.

Promulgation of Judgment -An official proclamation/ announcement of a judgment/order.

Judgment/sentence does not become a judgment/sentence in law 
until:
    1) Read and announced to the defendant; or
    2) Has become a part of the record of the
        court.

Sin Perjuico Judgment – Judgment without a statement of facts.

New Trial – A proceeding whereby errors of law or irregularities are 

expunged from the record, or new evidence is introduced, or both
steps are taken.

Motion For Reconsideration OR New Trial (MFR/MNT) - New trial 

and reconsideration are the same thing in criminal procedure 
whether it be a first, second, new or an old trial. “New” refers to time and not to substance.

Newly Discovered Evidence - Evidence which could not, by the 

exercise of due diligence, have been discovered before the trial in 
the court below.

Appeal – A proceeding for review by which the whole case is 

transferred to a higher court for a final determination.
Final Judgment — Judgment which would become final if no appeal 
is taken.

Final Order — One which disposes of the whole subject matter or 
terminates a particular proceeding/action, leaving nothing to be 
done but to enforce by execution what has been determined.

Error Of Judgment – One which the court may commit in the 

exercise of its jurisdiction.

Error Of Jurisdiction –  It renders an order of judgment void or 

voidable.

Notice Of Appeal – Written notice of intention to take appeal.

Appellant – The party appealing;

Appellee – The party adverse to the appellant.

Search Warrant - It is an order in writing; issued in the name of the 

People of the Philippines; signed by a judge; and directed to a 
 peace officer, commanding him to search for personal property 
described in the warrant and bring it before the court.
 
Probable Cause - Such reasons, supported by facts and 
circumstances, as will warrant a cautious man in the belief that 
his action, and the means taken in prosecuting it, are legally just
and proper.

Oath - Includes any form of attestation by which a party signifies 

that he is bound in conscience to perform an act faithfully and
truthfully.

Searching Questions And Answers - Such questions as have the 

tendency to show the commission of a crime and perpetrator 
thereof.

Stop and Frisk — A limited protective search of outer clothing for 

weapon.

Criminal Procedure Reviewer

Definition of Terms

Affidavit of Desistance - the complainant states that he did not

really intend to institute the case and that he is no longer
interested in testifying or prosecuting.

Appeal - A proceeding for review by which the whole case is

transferred on the higher court.

Appellant - The party appealing

Appellee - The party adverse to the appellant.

Arraignment - It means for bringing the accused into court and

informing him of the nature and cause of the accusation against him.

Arrest - taking a person into custody in order that he may be bound

to answer for the commission of some offense, made by an actual
restraint of the person or by his submission to custody.

Attachment - It is a remedy afforded to the offended party to have

the property of the accused attached as security for the satisfaction
of any judgment that may be recovered from the accused.

Bail - security given for the release of a person in custody of law,

furnished by him or a bondsman, conditioned upon his appearance before
any court as required.

Bail Bond - an obligation under seal given by accused with one or

more sureties and made payable to proper officer with the condition
to be void upon performance by the accused of such acts as he may
legally be required to perform.

Brief - It literally means a short or condensed statement. The purpose

of the brief is to present to the court in concise form the points
and questions in controversy, and by fair argument on the facts and
law of the case, to assist the court in arriving at a just and
proper conclusion.

Capital Offense - It is an offense which, under the law existing at

the time of its commission and of the application for admission to
bail may be punished with death.

Certiorari - is used to correct only errors of jurisdiction and not

errors of judgment of an inferior court.

Confrontation - It is the act of setting a witness face to face with

the accused so that the latter may make any objection he has to the
witness, and the witness may identify the accused, and this must take
place in the presence of the court having jurisdiction to permit the
privilege of cross examination.

Counsel De Officio - He is counsel appointed by the court to represent

and defend the accused in case he cannot afford to employ one himself.

Complaint -  sworn written statement charging a person with an offense,

subscribed by the offended party, any peace officer or other public
official charged with the enforcement of the law violated.

Continuous Trial System - Trial once commenced shall continue from

day to day as far as practicable until terminated; but it may be
postponed for a reasonable period of time for good cause.

Criminal Action - It is an action by which the State prosecutes a

person for an act or omission punishable by law.

Criminal Jurisdiction - It is the authority to hear and try a

particular offense and impose the punishment for it.

Criminal Procedure -  It is the method prescribed by law for the

apprehension and prosecution of persons accused of any criminal offense
and for their punishment, in case of conviction.

Custodial Investigation - Involves any questioning initiated by law

enforcement officers after a person has been taken into custody or
otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way.
Demurrer To Evidence - It is an objection by one of the parties in
an action, to the effect that the evidence which his adversary produced
is insufficient in point of law, whether true or not, to make out a
case or sustain the issue.

Deposition  - It is the testimony of a witness taken upon oral

questions or written interrogatories, in open court, but in pursuance
of a commission to take testimony issued by a court, or under a general
law or court rule on the subject, and reduced to writing and duly
authenticated, and intended to be used in preparation and upon the
trial of a civil or criminal prosecution.

Duplicity of the Offense - A complaint or information must charge

only one offense, except when the law prescribes a single
punishment for various offenses.

Error of Judgment - One which the court may commit in the exercise of
its jurisdiction.

Equipose Rule - where the evidence of the parties in a criminal case

are evenly balanced, the constitutional presumption of innocence should
tilt in favor of the accused who must be acquitted.

General Warrant - It is a process which authorizes the search and

seizure of things, in a general manner. It does not specify or
describe with particularity the things to be searched and seized.
This kind of warrant is VOID as it infringes on the constitutional
mandate requiring particular description of the things to be seized.

Habeas Corpus - is available when a person is imprisoned beyond the

maximum penalty imposed by law.

Hearing - It is not confined to trial but embraces the several stages

of litigation, including the pre-trial stage.

Improvident Plea - It is a plea without information as to all the

circumstances affecting it; based upon a mistaken assumption or
misleading information or advice.

Information - accusation in writing charging a person with an offense,

subscribed by the fiscal and filed with the court.

Judgment - adjudication by the court that the accused is guilty or not

guilty of the offense charged, and the imposition of the proper penalty
and civil liability provided by law on the accused.

Mittimus - It is a process issued by the court after conviction to

carry out the final judgment.

Motion To Quash - a hypothetical admission that even if all the facts

alleged were true, the accused still cannot be convicted due to other
reasons.
New Trial - The rehearing of a case already decided but before the
judgment of conviction therein rendered has become final, whereby
errors of law or irregularities are expunged from the record or new
evidence is introduced or both steps are taken.

Nolle Prosequi - is a dismissal of the criminal case by the government

before the accused is placed on trial and before he is called to plead,
with the approval of the court in the exercise of its judicial discretion.

Oath - Includes any form of attestation by which a party signifies that

he is bound in conscience to perform an act faithfully and truthfully.

Parole - the conditional release of an offender from a penal or

correctional institution after he has served the minimum period of his
prison sentence under the continued custody of the state and under
conditions that permit his reincarceration if he violated the conditions
of his release.

Plea Bargaining - process whereby the accused and the prosecution in

a criminal case work out a mutually satisfactory disposition of the
case subject to court approval. It usually involves the defendant's
pleading guilty to a lesser offense or to only some of the counts of
a multi-count indictment in return for a lighter sentence than that
for the greater charge.

Prejudicial Question - It is one which arises in a case, the

resolution of which is a logical antecedent of the issue involved
therein and the cognizance of which pertains to another tribunal.

Preliminary Investigation - inquiry or proceeding to determine if

there is sufficient ground to engender a well-founded belief that a
crime cognizable by the RTC has been committed, and that the respondent
is probably guilty thereof, and should be held for trial.

Pre-Trial Order - It is an order issued by the court reciting the

actions taken, the facts stipulated and the evidence marked
during the pre-trial conference. Such order binds the parties and
limits the trial to those matters not disposed of.

Probable Cause - such facts and circumstances which would lead a

reasonably prudent man to believe that a crime has been committed and
the thing to be searched for and seized is in the place to be searched.
               - Such reasons, supported by facts and circumstances,
as will warrant a cautious man in the belief that his action, and the
means taken in prosecuting it, are legally just and proper

Probable Cause For A Search - It is defined as such facts and

circumstances which would lead a reasonably discreet and prudent man
to believe that an offense has been committed and that the objects
sought in connection with the offense are in the place sought to
be searched.
Probable Cause In General - Such facts and circumstances antecedent
to the issuance of the warrant, that are in themselves sufficient to
induce a cautious man to believe that the person against whom the
search warrant is applied had committed or is about to commit a crime.

Probation - disposition under which a defendant after conviction and

sentences, is released subject to conditions imposed by the court and
to the supervision of a probation officer.

Property Bond - It is an undertaking constituted as a lien on the real

property given as security for the amount of the bail.

Provisional Remedy - It is one provided for present need or one that is

adopted to meet a particular exigency.

Reasonable Doubt - state of the case which, after full consideration

of all the evidence, leaves the mind of the judge in such a condition
that he cannot say that he feels an abiding conviction, to a moral
certainty, of the truth of the charge.

Recantation - A Witness who previously gave a testimony subsequently

declares that his statements were not true.

Recognizance - Obligation of record entered into before some court

of magistrate duly authorized to take it, with the condition to do
some particular act, the most usual condition in criminal cases being
the appearance of the accused for trial.

Reduced Bail - A person in custody for a period to or more than the

minimum of the principal penalty prescribed for the offense charged,
without application of the Indeterminate Sentence Law or any modifying
circumstance, shall be released on a reduced bail or on his own
recognizance at the discretion of the court.

Reverse Trial - When the accused admits the act or omission charged in
the complaint/information but interposes a lawful defense, the trial
court may allow the accused to present his defense first and thereafter
give the prosecution the opportunity to present his rebuttal evidence.

Scatter Shot Warrant - It is a warrant that is issued for more than

one offense. It is void, since the law requires that a warrant should
only be issued in connection with one specific offense.

Search - It is an examination of a man’s house, buildings or other

premises, or of his person, with a view to the discovery of some
evidence of guilt to be used in the prosecution of a criminal action
for some offense with which he is charged.

Searching Questions and Answers - Such questions as have the tendency

to show the commission of a crime and perpetrator thereof.
Search Warrant - an order in writing issued in the name of the People
of the Philippines, signed by a judge and directed to a peace officer,
commanding him to search for personal property described therein and
bring it before the court.

Seizure -  It is the physical taking of a thing into custody; 

contemplates a forcible disposition of the owner.

State Witness - One of two or more persons jointly charged with the
commission of a crime but who is discharged with his consent as such
accused so that he may be a witness for the state.

Stop and Frisk - A limited protective search of outer clothing for weapon.

Transactional Immunity - witness can no longer be prosecuted for any

offense whatsoever arising out of the act or transaction.

Trial - It is the examination before a competent tribunal according

to the laws of the land, of the facts put in issue in a case for the
purpose of determining such issue.

Trial in Absentia - accused in case of his non-appearance After

Arraignment despite due notice simply means that he thereby waives
his right to meet the witnesses face to face, among others.

Use and Derivative Use Immunity - witness is only assured that his
or her particular testimony and evidence derived from it will not be
used against him or her in a subsequent prosecution.