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New York Penal Law Section 10.00 - Definitions Of Terms Of General Use In This Chapter

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    § 10.00 Definitions of terms of general use in this chapter.
    Except  where different meanings are expressly specified in subsequent
  provisions of this chapter,  the  following  terms  have  the  following
  meanings:
    1.  "Offense"  means  conduct  for  which  a  sentence  to  a  term of
  imprisonment or to a fine is provided by any law of this state or by any
  law, local law or ordinance of a political subdivision of this state, or
  by any order, rule or regulation  of  any  governmental  instrumentality
  authorized by law to adopt the same.
    2.   "Traffic  infraction"  means  any  offense  defined  as  "traffic
  infraction" by section one hundred fifty-five of the vehicle and traffic
  law.
    3. "Violation" means an offense, other than a "traffic  infraction,  "
  for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment in excess of fifteen days
  cannot be imposed.
    4. "Misdemeanor" means an offense, other than a "traffic infraction, "
  for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment in excess of fifteen days
  may  be  imposed,  but for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment in
  excess of one year cannot be imposed.
    5. "Felony" means an offense  for  which  a  sentence  to  a  term  of
  imprisonment in excess of one year may be imposed.
    6. "Crime" means a misdemeanor or a felony.
    7.  "Person"  means  a human being, and where appropriate, a public or
  private corporation, an unincorporated  association,  a  partnership,  a
  government or a governmental instrumentality.
    8.  "Possess"  means  to  have  physical  possession  or  otherwise to
  exercise dominion or control over tangible property.
    9.  "Physical  injury"  means  impairment  of  physical  condition  or
  substantial pain.
    10.  "Serious  physical  injury" means physical injury which creates a
  substantial risk  of  death,  or  which  causes  death  or  serious  and
  protracted  disfigurement, protracted impairment of health or protracted
  loss or impairment of the function of any bodily organ.
    11. "Deadly physical force" means  physical  force  which,  under  the
  circumstances  in  which it is used, is readily capable of causing death
  or other serious physical injury.
    12. "Deadly weapon" means any loaded weapon from which a shot, readily
  capable of producing death or other  serious  physical  injury,  may  be
  discharged,  or  a  switchblade  knife,  gravity  knife, pilum ballistic
  knife, metal knuckle knife, dagger, billy, blackjack, or metal knuckles.
    13. "Dangerous instrument" means any instrument, article or substance,
  including a "vehicle" as that term is defined in  this  section,  which,
  under  the  circumstances  in  which it is used, attempted to be used or
  threatened to be used, is readily capable  of  causing  death  or  other
  serious physical injury.
    14. "Vehicle" means a "motor vehicle", "trailer" or "semi-trailer," as
  defined in the vehicle and traffic law, any snowmobile as defined in the
  parks  and  recreation  law,  any  aircraft,  or any vessel equipped for
  propulsion by mechanical means or by sail.
    15. "Public servant" means (a) any public officer or employee  of  the
  state  or  of  any  political subdivision thereof or of any governmental
  instrumentality within the state,  or  (b)  any  person  exercising  the
  functions  of  any  such  public  officer  or  employee. The term public
  servant includes a person who has been elected or designated to become a
  public servant.
    16. "Juror" means any person who is a member of any jury, including  a
  grand  jury,  impaneled  by  any  court  in  this state or by any public
  servant authorized by law  to  impanel  a  jury.  The  term  juror  also
  includes  a  person  who  has  been  drawn  or  summoned  to attend as a
  prospective juror.
    17.  "Benefit"  means  any  gain  or  advantage to the beneficiary and
  includes any gain or advantage to a third person pursuant to the  desire
  or consent of the beneficiary.
    18.  "Juvenile  offender" means (1) a person thirteen years old who is
  criminally responsible for acts constituting murder in the second degree
  as defined in subdivisions  one  and  two  of  section  125.25  of  this
  chapter; and
    (2)  a  person  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  old  who  is  criminally
  responsible for acts constituting the crimes defined in subdivisions one
  and two  of  section  125.25  (murder  in  the  second  degree)  and  in
  subdivision three of such section provided that the underlying crime for
  the   murder   charge  is  one  for  which  such  person  is  criminally
  responsible; section 135.25 (kidnapping in  the  first  degree);  150.20
  (arson  in the first degree); subdivisions one and two of section 120.10
  (assault in  the  first  degree);  125.20  (manslaughter  in  the  first
  degree);  subdivisions  one and two of section 130.35 (rape in the first
  degree); subdivisions one and two of section 130.50 (criminal sexual act
  in the first degree); 130.70  (aggravated  sexual  abuse  in  the  first
  degree);  140.30  (burglary  in  the  first  degree); subdivision one of
  section 140.25 (burglary in the second degree);  150.15  (arson  in  the
  second degree); 160.15 (robbery in the first degree); subdivision two of
  section   160.10  (robbery  in  the  second  degree)  of  this  chapter;
  subdivision four of section 265.02 of this chapter, where  such  firearm
  is possessed on school grounds, as that phrase is defined in subdivision
  fourteen  of  section  220.00 of this chapter; or section 265.03 of this
  chapter, where such machine gun or such firearm is possessed  on  school
  grounds,  as  that  phrase is defined in subdivision fourteen of section
  220.00 of this chapter; or defined in this  chapter  as  an  attempt  to
  commit murder in the second degree or kidnapping in the first degree.
    19.  For the purposes of section 260.30 and 120.01 of this chapter the
  term "child day care provider" shall  be  defined  as  provided  for  in
  section three hundred ninety of the social services law.
    20. For purposes of sections 120.13, 120.18, 125.11, 125.21 and 125.22
  of  this  chapter,  the  term  "peace  officer" means a peace officer as
  defined in subdivision one, two, three,  four,  six,  twelve,  thirteen,
  fifteen,  sixteen,  seventeen,  eighteen,  nineteen, twenty, twenty-one,
  twenty-three,  twenty-three-a,  twenty-four,  twenty-five,   twenty-six,
  twenty-eight,  twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-four,
  thirty-five,   thirty-six,   forty-three,    forty-five,    forty-seven,
  forty-eight,  forty-nine,  fifty-one, fifty-two, fifty-eight, sixty-one,
  as added by chapter two hundred fifty-seven  of  the  laws  of  nineteen
  hundred  ninety-two,  sixty-one,  as  added  by  chapter  three  hundred
  twenty-one of the laws of nineteen  hundred  ninety-two,  sixty-two,  as
  added  by  chapter  two  hundred  four  of  the laws of nineteen hundred
  ninety-three, sixty-two, as added by chapter six hundred eighty-seven of
  the laws of nineteen hundred ninety-three, sixty-three,  as  amended  by
  chapter  six  hundred  thirty-eight  of  the laws of two thousand three,
  sixty-four, sixty-five, sixty-eight, as added  by  chapter  one  hundred
  sixty-eight  of  the  laws  of  two  thousand,  sixty-eight, as added by
  chapter three hundred eighty-one of the laws of two  thousand,  seventy,
  seventy-one,  seventy-four, as added by chapter five hundred forty-eight
  of the laws of two thousand one, seventy-five, as added by chapter three
  hundred twenty-one of the laws of two  thousand  two,  seventy-five,  as
  added  by  chapter  six hundred twenty-three of the laws of two thousand
  two, seventy-seven, as added by chapter three hundred sixty-seven of the
  laws of two thousand four, seventy-eight or seventy-nine,  as  added  by
  chapter  two  hundred  forty-one  of  the  laws of two thousand four, of
  section 2.10 of the criminal procedure law, as well as any  federal  law
  enforcement  officer  defined  in section 2.15 of the criminal procedure
  law.

Last modified: July 30, 2006