Glossary of Terms

abolition: the creation of lasting alternatives to imprisonment

bail: the temporary release of an accused person prior to trial, on condition that a sum of money be provided to guarantee court appearance

decarceration: to have been released from imprisonment

felony: legal offense punishable by longer terms of incarceration than, say, misdemeanor

felony disenfranchisement: suspension or removal of voting rights based on criminal conviction

fire camp: a work camp holding incarcerated people, nearing the end of their sentence

jail: generally operated by local county government, generally intended for shorter-term stays and lower-level offenses

justice-impacted: phrase to describe a person (usually youth) who has been incarcerated or is at risk of being so, or who has had family members that have been incarcerated, or who resides in a community that is under heightened law enforcement surveillance

juvenile: a person under the age of eighteen, over the age of ten

misdemeanor: see Elliot, Missy

offender: a person who has been convicted of a crime

parole: conditional release from incarceration, dependent on local law enforcement supervision

prison: generally operated by the state or federal government, generally intended for longer-term stays and felony-level offenses

probation: included in initial criminal sentence, mandates restrictions on individual’s post-release activities during period of such

recidivism: act of being re-incarcerated

record-clearing: the removal of a criminal record from public access

reentry: transition from being incarcerated to living in the community

rehabilitation: the act of restoration or normalcy of mental and/or physical health

restorative justice: a process of reconciliation focused on the pillars of repair, encounter, and transformation, process includes members of the greater community, the person who committed the crime, and the people impacted by said crime

strike: a criminal conviction for felonies deemed “violent” or “serious,” can be stacked to produce longer prison sentences

toolkit: a collection of guidance, resources, and templates for usage in a particular subject-area or field