Conviction

Legal verdict

Not to be confused with indictment or convection.

"Convicted" redirects here. For other uses, see Convicted (disambiguation) and Conviction (disambiguation).

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources.
Find sources: "Conviction" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2019)

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Criminal procedure

Criminal trials and convictions
Rights of the accused

* Appeal
* Bail
* Double jeopardy2
* Exclusionary rule1
* Fair trial
* Jury trial
* Trial as an adult
* Presumption of innocence
* Pre-trial
* Counsel

* Self-incrimination

Rights of the victim

* Clearance rate
* Criminal justice
* Right to an effective remedy
* Speedy trial
* Victims' rights

Verdict

* Acquittal
* Conviction
* Conviction rate
* Guilt
* Not proven3
* Directed verdict

Sentencing

* Custodial
* Disparity
* Discharge
* Guidelines
* Totality5, 6
* Mandatory
* Periodic
* Dangerous offender4, 5
* Capital punishment
* Execution warrant
* Cruel and unusual punishment
* Imprisonment
* Life
* Indefinite
* Legal remedy
* Loss of rights
* Reparation
* Restitution
* Reform
* Suspended
* Three-strikes law
* Zero tolerance

Post-sentencing

* Criminal justice
* Exoneration
* Parole
* Probation
* Habitual offender
* Life licence6
* Miscarriage of justice
* Pardon
* Recidivism
* Rehabilitation
* Restorative justice
* Sex offender registry
* Sexually violent predator laws1
* Tariff 6

Related areas of law

* Civil procedure
* Criminal defenses
* Criminal law
* Evidence

Portals

* Law portal

* 1 US courts
* 2 Not in English/Welsh courts
* 3 Scottish courts
* 4 English/Welsh courts
* 5 Canadian courts
* 6 UK courts

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In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime.[1] A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by judge in which the defendant is found guilty.

The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which is considered an acquittal. Sometimes, despite a defendant being found guilty, the court may order that the defendant not be convicted. This is known as a discharge and is used in countries including England, Wales, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

In any criminal justice system, innocent people are sometimes convicted. Appeal mechanisms and post conviction relief procedures may help to address this issue to some extent. An error leading to the conviction of an innocent person is known as a miscarriage of justice. In some judicial systems, the prosecution may appeal acquittals; while in others, this is prohibited under double jeopardy protections.

After a defendant is convicted, the court determines the appropriate sentence as a punishment. In addition to the sentence, a conviction can also have other consequences, known as collateral consequences of criminal charges. These can include impacts on employment, housing, the right to travel to other countries, and other areas of an individual's life.

A person's history of convictions is known as their antecedents or "previous" in the United Kingdom and "priors" in the United States and Australia.

## See also

[edit]

* Convict
* Conviction rate
* Verdict
* Clearance rate

## References

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Conviction.

1. ^ Garner, Bryan A., ed. (2019). Black's law dictionary (11th ed.). St. Paul, Minn.: West Group.

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