The terms, which are presented alphabetically, begin with the legal term "abatement ab initio." This is "a legal doctrine that operates to extinguish criminal proceedings and vacate a conviction when the convicted person dies while appellate review is pending or when the time for seeking such review has not expired." Other defined terms are more common to lay persons, such as "appeal," "conviction," "custody," "escape/abscond," "execution of death penalty," "executive clemency," "parole," "parole revocation," "probation," and "release from supervision." Terms less familiar to lay persons are "restorative justice," "public records request," "psychiatric review board," and "victim impact statement." These definitions should be in the possession of victims for reference when they are confused upon hearing these terms used in legal conversations or court proceedings.