New York legal term
Written instrument in New York Criminal Law
Current through 2026 New York legislative session
In New York criminal law, “Written instrument” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the New York criminal code.
What does “Written instrument” mean in New York criminal law?
"Written instrument" means any instrument or article, including computer data or a computer program, containing written or printed matter or the equivalent thereof, used for the purpose of reciting, embodying, conveying or recording information, or constituting a symbol or evidence of value, right, privilege or identification, which is capable of being used to the advantage or disadvantage of some person. (N.Y. Penal Law § 170.00)
Statutes defining or using this term
Charges using this term
- Forgery in the first degree
- Forgery in the second degree
- Forgery in the third degree
- Fraudulently obtaining a signature
- Issuing a false financial statement
- Making a punishable false written statement
- Making an apparently sworn false statement in the second degree
- Tampering with public records in the first degree
- Unlawfully issuing a dissolution decree
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.