§ 12 Party defendant.

In a criminal case, the person being charged with a crime is called the "defendant." This is just the legal term used throughout Oklahoma's criminal court process to refer to the person facing charges.

You'll see this term used in court papers, hearings, and throughout the whole case. Whether someone is accused of a minor offense or a serious crime, the law refers to them the same way: as the defendant. This is different from the "plaintiff" label used in civil lawsuits between private parties, since criminal cases are brought by the state or government against a person.