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Civil Rights in the United States

Prisoner Rights; Punishment; Collateral Consequences for Criminal Convictions; Monetary Sanctions

Habeas Corpus

Habeas corpus is defined as: 
 

"[Law Latin “that you have the body”] (18c) A writ employed to bring a person before a court, most frequently to ensure that the person's imprisonment or detention is not illegal (habeas corpus ad subjiciendum). • In addition to being used to test the legality of an arrest or commitment, the writ may be used to obtain judicial review of (1) the regularity of the extradition process, (2) the right to or amount of bail, or (3) the jurisdiction of a court that has imposed a criminal sentence.  Sometimes shortened to habeas. — Also termed writ of habeas corpus; Great Writ." Black's Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014)


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