Data Dictionary of Legal Terms

Case: A case is a collection of all charges against a defendant arising out of a single incident or transaction.

Charge: A charge is the specific crime that a defendant is accused of committing.

Conviction: A formal finding that a defendant is guilty of a charge. This finding may be made after a verdict by a judge or jury or after the entry of a plea of guilty or no contest.

Data: Data for these indicators came from the State Attorney’s Office Case Management System. Data does not include juvenile cases unless indicated in the description.

Defendant: An individual charged in a criminal case.

Dismissal: After the filing of charges, an order by the court or a decision by the State to terminate prosecution of a charge.

Disposition: The final outcome of an arrest or prosecution.

Diversion: A diversion program is one that allows offenders to divert their criminal case from the traditional criminal justice path. A diversion program can take many forms, but it usually involves a suspension of formal criminal proceedings against a defendant, where after completion of certain conditions, the defendant has their charges dismissed.

Ethnicity: For purposes of these indicators, ethnicity is defined as Hispanic or non-Hispanic.

Filing Decision: A case filing decision occurs when the State Attorney’s Office makes a formal decision to file charges against a defendant either by the filing of an Information or Indictment. It also occurs when law enforcement files a Uniform Traffic Citation in a criminal traffic case or a notice to appear in misdemeanor case.

Nolle Prosequi: A voluntary dismissal of a charge by the State Attorney’s Office.

Race: Race is defined as the racial category identified in cases referred to the State Attorney’s Office.

Referred: A case is referred when it is submitted to the State Attorney’s Office for review. This includes investigations, arrests, warrants, notices to appear, citations, and other requests for prosecution.

SAO/SAO13: State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit, which includes all of Hillsborough County.

Sexual assault: Sexual assault includes felony charges with an element of a sexual nature (see the “Sexual Assault” tab on this Legal Definitions page).

Victim: A victim is a person who has suffered direct or threatened physical, psychological, or financial harm as a result of the commission or attempted commission of a crime. All victims listed on a single case are included in these indicators.

Violent charge: A charge that includes an element of physical force or threatened use of physical force against the person of another or which has been designated as a crime of violence under Florida law (see the “Violent” tab on this Legal Definitions page).